U.S. Military Aid

U.S. MILITARY AID

(key words:  military aid, Ukraine, Gaza, Israel)

This inquiry was triggered by an International Intrigue “Map of the Day” (May 2, 2024) noting that military spending has now reached record levels in every part of the world, increasing 6.8% in the last 12 months.[1]  The big four when it comes to spending are the U.S., China, Russia, and India.  

The two organizations that track military spending by country are the Stockholm International Peace Institute and the International Institute for Strategic Studies.[2]  The following list includes the higher of the two sources for each country, under the assumption that the figures listed are likely lower than actual expenditures, due to the strategic practice of obfuscating one’s military strength.

Current annual military expenditures by country (billions in U.S. dollars)

  1. United States 916
  2. China 408
  3. Russia 295
  4. India 84
  5. Saudi Arabia 76
  6. United Kingdom 75
  7. Germany 67
  8. Ukraine 65
  9. France 61
  10. Japan 50
  11. South Korea 48
  12. Italy 36
  13. Australia 34
  14. Poland 32
  15. Israel 28

Other notable expenditures are Taiwan (19), Mexico (12), Iran (10), and North Korea (4).  Much of Mexico’s military budget is used in fighting drug cartels.  In North Korea, military expenditures make up approximately 20% of that country’s GDP, the highest ratio in the world.  Military expenditures in the U.S. constitute approximately 3% of GDP.  

A big story in recent weeks has been the $95 billion aid package approved for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan.  This complex package includes both military and humanitarian aid. 

For Ukraine ($61 billion total)

  • $23 billion to replenish weapons and ammunition for US military that can then be given or loaned to Ukraine
  • $14 billion for Ukraine to purchase weapons from U.S. companies
  • $11 billion for US military operations in the neighborhood of Ukraine
  • $9 billion in economic assistance to Ukraine
  • $5 billion miscellaneous (accountability, counter-terrorism, food security, diplomatic initiatives, etc.

For Israel Palestine ($26 billion total)

  • $5 billion for Israel’s Iron Dome and Iron Beam systems (to shoot down incoming missiles, rockets, and mortar)
  • $9 billion, including funds for artillery and munitions, to use against Palestinians  
  • $3 billion to increase U.S. operations in the area
  • $9 billion for humanitarian assistance (food, medical, shelter) for “vulnerable populations and communities” upended by the Hamas-Israel war

For Taiwan (approximately $8 billion total)

  • $3.5 billion to develop nuclear submarine system that will operate largely in the Indo-Pacific region (mostly benefiting U.S. companies)
  • $4 billion for military assistance to Taiwan and other countries in the region resisting Chinese aggression (Japan, Philippines, South Korea, etc.)
  • Half a billion dollars for increased U.S. military presence in the region

“Military Assistance” from the U.S. has several components:  mostly military financing.

  1. (97%) Military financing:  weapons, munitions, strategic and tactical training
  2. (1%) Peacekeeping:  promoting non-UN organizations working in conflict resolution and supporting international cooperation in deescalating conflict in a region
  3. (2%) International Military Education and Training:  promoting inter-operability with U.S. and coalition forces, training military personnel in democratic values, professionalism, and human rights

In 2020, the U.S. reported $11.6 billion in military aid, most of it to Israel and Egypt. This figure is likely inaccurate, due to covert aid provided many countries and classified information not available to the public.  In 2020, 157 different countries received some form of U.S. military aid.[3]

In addition to military grants to other countries, a number of U.S. companies and organizations also sold weapons and ammunition to the rest of the world.[4]  The five largest exporters of weapons to the rest of the world are:

  • The United States (39% of all arms exports) Saudi Arabia, Australia, South Korea were the top customers
  • Russia (19%) India, China, Egypt—top customers
  • France (11%) India, Qatar, Egypt—top customers
  • China (4.5%)  Pakistan, Bangladesh, Thailand—top customers
  • Germany (4.5%) South Korea, Egypt, US—top customers[5]

PERSONAL OBSERVATIONS

  1. The data is really murky.  When it comes to military matters, arms sales, government expenditures, guerilla groups, and private mercenary activity—a great deal of activity occurs in the dark.  We see things, and are told things—but the information available to even the most diligent researcher is only a fraction of what is true.
  2. The world is becoming a more dangerous place by the month.  Escalating rhetoric, mounting grievances, political stagnation, uninhibited nationalism, and ubiquitous weapons and munitions are already leading to violence and aggression all around the world. Governments, economies, political parties, media, and social institutions are all caught up in the trend, all contributing to the danger.
  3. The $95 billion aid package (mostly military) just approved by the congress and signed by the president is a BIG deal.  It raises a perennial argument:  do additional weapons and threat deter further war and violence or do they aggravate the conflict?  The reason this is a perennial argument is because the historical record indicates that “deterrence through strength” sometimes works—sometimes not. 
  4. Democracies have trouble agreeing on who the enemy is.  In the Revolutionary War, one-third of the country believed King George was the enemy; one-third believed the likes of George Washington and John Adams were the enemies; and one-third didn’t care.  In the Civil War, at times more than 50% of the north thought Abraham Lincoln was the enemy—to say nothing of the opinions the Confederacy had of him.  Is Putin the enemy?  A 2023 poll by YouGov showed that 21% of Americans had a favorable opinion of him—mostly due to the influence of Donald Trump and the Freedom Caucus.  Hamas?  22% of Americans think that they are justified in their actions.  (Pew Research Center)  Netanyahu? His approval rating in the U.S. stands at 26%.  A Harvard-CPS Harris poll shows that 80% of Americans favor Israel over Hamas.  But when it comes to Israel’s attacks in Gaza, 55% of Americans disapprove—favoring a ceasefire instead of the current actions of the Israeli Defense Department.  (Gallup, March 2024) 
  5. Israel is a mixed bag.  I have seen first-hand, over the past 5 decades, the injustices Israel has perpetrated on the Palestinians, particularly with illegal settlements and loss of civil rights. Reports of Israeli violent aggression are not all propaganda.  When you corner the mother bear, you will provoke a natural backlash. On the other hand, Israel is not the only enemy for the Palestinians.  Their plight is complicated.  To understand the context of Palestinian anguish, one must also look into the failures of internal Palestinian political leadership, the political maneuvering of existing Arabic nations, and the lingering effects of colonialism in the Near East.  And it is important to see that Israel has more enemies than just Hamas and assorted angry Palestinians.  There are reports (some likely mere propaganda—some not propaganda) of 5,000 attacks on Israelis last year.  There are militant organizations devoted entirely to attacking Israel and its citizens: Hamas—30,000 fighters, Hezbollah—20,000 fighters, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad—15,000 fighters, and Lion’s Den—200 fighters. In addition, the following countries have currently declared official war against Israel:  Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Iran.  What is a cowardly political mantra in the U.S. (“Israel has a right to defend itself.”) is a reality when one is trying to survive in the Near East.  Unfortunately, most people want to simplify the whole situation, make it white and black, either/or.  Emotions prefer a clearly defined enemy—no ambiguity.  But that only makes everyone less safe and the world less just.
  6. The US government spends 97% on violent solutions, 1% on peaceful solutions.  My very first sermon was in July 1972, during the Viet Nam War.  In trying to share the deepest part of my faith, I preached on “peace.”  For those of us asking that “God’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven,” the odds have always been against us.  Jesus never said to have no enemies.  He just said to love them. His willingness to go to the cross, rather than to marshal his disciples for a fight, keeps an alternative possibility before us.  Jesus was neither an “eye for an eye” type of guy, nor a “roll over and play dead” type of guy.  He offered a third, hard-to-figure out path toward justice and peace.  I know that sounds crazy and naïve—to pursue alternative debates and solutions.  We struggle to figure it out in the real world—as it is today.  But the road we’re on now is absolutely pathological—and a literal dead-end for too many.  It is fifty-two years after that first sermon—and I’m still preaching peace. 

[1] Stockholm International Peace Institute, April 22, 2024

[2] The Stockholm International Peace Institute bases its findings on open sources.  The International Institute for Strategic Studies includes non-disclosed sources that include government and military organizations.  

[3] USAFacts:  https://usafacts.org May 3, 2022  

[4] https://www.state.gov/world-military-expenditures-and-arms-transfers-2021-edition/

[5] Stockholm International Peace Institute