U.S. sets record for foreign military sales amid Ukraine war, says Pentagon

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The U.S. has seen a dramatic spike in military sales to foreign countries since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, a senior Defense Department official said this week at the Sea-Air-Space exposition near the District of Columbia.

The Pentagon did more than $80 billion in business through the foreign military sales system during fiscal 2023, which Defense Security Cooperation Agency chief James Hursch said was a record. Sales to NATO allies amount to $24 billion in FY 2023, up from $20 billion the previous fiscal year.

“This is a huge increase. That’s representative of the increased investment that our allies in Europe are making every day,” Mr. Hursch said.

Poland in particular has looked to the U.S. to help boost its defense through foreign military purchases. In 2023, the U.S. sold the Poles AH-64E Apache helicopters, the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, which Ukraine said was a game changer in its war, the Integrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Command System, and M1A1 Abrams main battle tanks, officials said.

“We’ve recently undertaken some new cooperation with Poland in the joint co-production of some defense systems,” Mr. Hursch said. “We’re looking at how to do that with other allies and partners as well.”

Providing Ukraine with weapons and equipment to battle the Russians has highlighted the need to strengthen defense industrial bases in the U.S. and among European allies, Mr. Hursch said.

“I think we’ve discovered domestically that we need to pay more attention to that,” he said. “It’s also true that we’re seeing in Europe an increased focus on the strength of the industrial base. We’re looking for ways in which we can cooperate.”