Foreign Military Sales: A Potential Drain on the U.S. Defense Posture (Unclassified Digest)

Records of the United States Arms Control and Disarmament Agency indicate that the United States has dominated the world arms market since 1965 and now controls it by almost 50%. This domination is attributable to the high technology embodied in the weapon systems sold, the ability to provide follow-on support through the systems' life cycle, and, in some cases, a political preference on the part of some countries for buying from the United States rather than from other nations.