The U.S. has confirmed $55.6 billion in foreign military sales for fiscal year 2018, a 33% increase over 2017’s sales of $41.9 billion. The head of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency announced that the U.S. is maintaining this upwards projection. While defense spending year-to-year is volatile, largely depending on massive one-time purchases, increased defense budgets and demand for US products are driving an ongoing surge. The State Department has already cleared around $70 billion in Foreign Military Sales deals that could occur in fiscal year 2019, including a $15 billion deal with the Saudi government for THAAD and potential deal with Poland for Patriot batteries. The Trump administration has pushed these sales, making deals easier to complete, and has made them a major component of its economic strategy.
Source: America sold $55.6 billion in weapons abroad in FY18 — a 33 percent jump