In 2021, the US government was the biggest military spender on the planet.
That year it spent $801 billion on so-called “defense.” According to a Press TV report, the US’s military spending figures made up 30% of total military spending globally in 2021 (roughly $2.1 Trillion US dollars)
As BLP previously reported, the US recently sold $1.1 billion in arms to Taiwan in efforts to stoke tensions with China. On top of that, the US has continued subsidizing Ukraine’s military to the tune of billions in an effort to try to bleed Russia out. Due to its vast military-industrial complex size and activist foreign policy, the US government is the world’s #1 arms dealer.
With how prolific the US’s arms sales are, it’s only inevitable that its weapons will land in the hands of authoritarian governments and nasty terrorist actors.
For example, the Yemeni Civil War has witnessed the US arm the Saudi-led coalition in its efforts to prop up a corrupt Yemeni government. The Saudis and their allies have gained notoriety for using US arms that have resulted in massive civilian casualties.
Per a recent Wall Street Journal report, the Pentagon has embarked on a new campaign to expedite the sales of US arms, which includes drones, firearms, helicopters, tanks, and other armaments to allies and strategic partners in order to advance the DC Swamp’s geopolitical agenda.
In August, the Pentagon launched a task force of senior officials (Tiger Team) to figure out ways to streamline the sales of billions of dollars of weaponry to foreign allies and strategic partners. Their goal is to get rid of inefficiencies so that allies can receive weapons in a quick manner.
The US government has already dialed up military aid and arms sales to countries such as Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan in order to build a balancing coalition against China.
Press TV reported that Japan is entertaining the idea of deploying 1,000 Long Range Cruise Missiles to bolster its counter attack capacities against China.
Similarly, South Korea has petitioned for an increase in military and weapons aid from the United States. South Korea and Japan recently participated in the NATO Summit for the first time.
The AUKUS agreement that was forged with Australia involves the building nuclear submarines for the Land Down Under in addition to heightened defense cooperation for the purpose of balancing against China.
Indeed, the US should have the strongest military on the planet but only for the purpose of defending its borders and its traditional sphere of influence in the Caribbean, Mexico, and Central America. Anything beyond that is essentially serving the interests of foreign countries that are more than capable of defending themselves or finding diplomatic solutions to the geopolitical problems they face.
For once, can our ruling class actually pursue a foreign policy that’s America First and not prioritize the interests of foreign nations?
Is that too much to ask for?