The Military Industrial Complex World
wide.
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name.
You will hear of wars
and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must
happen, but the end is still to come.
The
war is a gold mine: - A unique opportunity Norwegian News
The war in Ukraine is a goldmine for the world's arms manufacturers, not
least for the five largest, all of which are American.
Germany decided earlier this year to
donate three air defense squadrons equipped with Patriot missiles to Ukraine,
here they are on their way to Poland. Patriot is a collaborative project
between the three American arms manufacturers Rytheon, Lockheed Martin and
Boeing, and they have had good days since Russia invaded Ukraine. Photo:
DPA / AP / NTB Photo: NTB
Published Sunday 12 February 2023 -
10:47
Last year, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, Boeing, Northrop
Grumman, General Dynamics and the other American arms manufacturers received
the green light from Washington to sell arms, military equipment and services
worth close to NOK 1,550 billion to other countries, an overview from the US
Foreign Ministry shows .
This was an increase of as much as 48.6 per cent from
the previous year and is attributed to the war in Ukraine and rearmament by the
US's allies, primarily in Europe.
In addition to the arms manufacturers' direct sales,
the US authorities themselves were responsible for the sale of arms to allies
for just over NOK 520 billion, the overview shows. This was an increase of
49.1 per cent from the previous year.
-
Weapons are the way to peace, said NATO
Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg during a meeting of the so-called contact
group for Ukraine last month. Here he tests a Japanese fighter plane
during a visit to the country on 31 January. Photo: AP / NTB
- The increase is primarily due to licenses linked to
Ukraine's attempts to defend itself against Russia's unprovoked aggression,
states the ministry.
Full order books
When the Russian build-up along the border with
Ukraine became known, the stock market value of the major arms manufacturers
began to rise.
The order books were quickly filled, including at General
Dynamics, which a few days before the invasion received an order for 250 Abrams M1 tanks from
Poland , a contract
worth around NOK 60 billion.
A few months later, Germany ordered 35 fighter jets of the F-35 type, as well as
associated weapon systems and equipment worth close to NOK 85 billion from
Lockheed Martin.
The German government justified the urgent purchase
with the need to show unity in NATO and deter Russia in a credible manner.
Gear up
In country after country in Europe, governments
decided overnight to arm up, something NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg
had been urging them to do for years in vain.
South Korea is both concerned about
North Korea and about China's increasingly strong military presence in the
region, and has purchased 40 American fighter jets of the F-35 type. Last
year they placed an order for a further 20. Photo: AP / NTB
At the same time, European countries began donating
weapons systems from their own stockpiles to Ukraine, much of the phased-out
material that first had to be restored using spare parts. A large part of
the material was American, and the spare parts also had to be ordered from the
USA.
As their own weapons stocks were emptied, orders were
placed for new and more modern weapons systems, and the major American
manufacturers once again secured a significant portion of the contracts.
- Weapons are the way to peace, declared Stoltenberg
during the meeting of the so-called contact group for Ukraine last month.
Good days
Although close to half of the world's 100 largest arms
manufacturers are American, and they undoubtedly walk away with the most and
largest contracts, there are good days for manufacturers in other countries as
well.
Won't answer Zelenskyi's fighter
jet plea
Just over 20 of the largest manufacturers are
European, and companies such as British BAE Systems, French Thales, Italian Leonardo
and German Dynamit Nobel and Krauss-Maffei Wegmann are having good days.
The latter recently received an order from the
Norwegian defense for the purchase of 54 Leopard 2A7 tanks, a type that is used
by a number of countries and of which the Ukrainian army has also been promised
many.
The course in the weather
Shares in Saab Bofors Dynamics, which manufactures the
NLAW anti-tank missiles, have risen by over 90 per cent in the past year, while
the stock market value of Kongsberg Gruppen, which manufactures the air defense
system Nasams, has increased by over 30 per cent since the war in Ukraine broke
out.
Ammunition producer Nammo in Raufoss recently received
an order for artillery shells worth NOK 2.6 billion from the government, which
stated that they will both strengthen Norway's defense capability and go to
Ukraine.
China fear
While more and more European countries are now
approaching NATO's goal of spending at least 2 percent of their gross domestic product
on their defence, other parts of the world are also gearing up.
Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre (Ap) and
Defense Minister Bjørn Arild Gram (Sp) recently visited Kongsberg Defense &
Aerospace, which is experiencing great demand for its advanced air defense
system NASAMS. Photo: Heiko Junge / NTB
The US is most of all concerned about China, which is
also clearly indicated by arms exports. One of the largest arms contracts
signed last year was with Indonesia, which buys combat aircraft and weapon
systems for NOK 140 billion from Boeing. This is because, according to
analysts, the country's leaders are greatly concerned about China's military
buildup in the Pacific region.
Taiwan, Japan and South Korea have also entered into
new billion-dollar contracts with American arms manufacturers, who also have
many good customers in the Middle East. There, they are most concerned
about the alleged threat from Iran.
Middle East
Saudi Arabia, which is waging a brutal war in Yemen,
entered into a contract for the purchase of 300
Patriot missiles from
Raytheon at a value of over NOK 30 billion, while the United Arab Emirates is
buying an air defense system from Lockheed Martin for over NOK 22 billion.
Israel and Egypt are also good customers for the
American manufacturers, as are countries such as Kuwait, the overview from the US
Foreign Ministry shows.
For example, Kuwait buys the Norwegian-developed
Nasams missile system, which Kongsberg Defense & Aerospace and Raytheon
produce, for NOK 30 billion, while the Emirates shell out NOK 23 billion for
the THAAD air defense system from Lockheed Martin.
Tools in foreign policy
President Joe Biden sees American military aid and
arms sales as tools in foreign policy, while at the same time supporting
American industry, states the American online newspaper Defense News .
This is confirmed by Jessica Lewis, who is deputy
secretary of state responsible for political-military affairs in the Biden
administration. She notes that the American arms industry is now
experiencing historically increased demand and sales.
- The military aid lubricates the wheels of the
partnership with the arms industry and promotes our national security while
strengthening bilateral relations, she said recently.
According to Lewis, the United States is now
encouraging allied countries in Eastern Europe to get rid of Russian-made
equipment, often by donating it to Ukraine, and then to acquire American
weapons systems themselves. The US offers financial support and training
to those who do.
Våpenindustrien
går så det suser.