Conflicts in Ukraine and Middle East Enrich US Military-Industrial Complex

On February 24, 2024, the armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine will turn its second year. The war between Israel and Hamas has been going on for nearly six months. Thousands of people have died, the economic damage is impossible to estimate. A the same time, the U.S. defense industry is experiencing a boom in orders from European allies, and the Pentagon is moving old weapons and ammunition to Ukraine to modernize its arsenals.

This was written by the American newspaper The Wall Street Journal, according to which the production of the U.S. military-industrial complex increased by 17.5% between 2022 and 2023. According to the Federal Reserve, of the $60.7 billion in “aid” to Ukraine so far, 64% will go back to the U.S. defense industry in one way or another.

The State Department in Washington announced that as of September 2023, the USA has signed $80 billion worth of arms and ammunition sales contracts, of which $50 billion will have to come from European allies, with Germany and Poland being the first. “These financial results are five times the historical average,” said Wolfe Research analyst Miles Walton.

“In addition to armaments,” the US newspaper finally notes, “in 2023, the USA became the largest exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in the world. The implementation of the main part of the projects related to LNG exports started after the outbreak of hostilities in Ukraine.”