U.S. Arms Sales Agreements with the Middle East, 1999-2006
by Travis Sharp [contact information]
Updated March 4, 2008
See our Jan-Feb 2008 report, op-ed, and press release on the U.S. sale of controversial JDAM technology to Saudi Arabia.
Check out our analysis of U.S. arms sales agreements worldwide.
The United States is far and away the leader in arms sales agreements with the Middle East. Consider the following:
- From 1999 to 2006, the United States totaled $46.4 billion in arms sales agreements with the Middle East and South Asia.
- From 1999 to 2006, the United States averaged $5.8 billion per year in arms sales agreements with the Middle East and South Asia.
- From 1999 to 2006, the United States completed 56% of all arms sales agreements with the Middle East and South Asia, a proportion almost five times greater than Russia's, the second highest supplier, and over eighteen times greater than China's, a country often mentioned as an emerging "peer competitor" or "strategic opponent" to the United States.
U.S. ARMS SALES AGREEMENTS WITH SELECTED MIDDLE EAST RECIPIENTS, 1999-2006
(in millions of constant 2006 U.S. dollars)
(in millions of constant 2006 U.S. dollars)
| FY 99 | FY 00 | FY 01 | FY 02 | FY 03 | FY 04 | FY 05 | FY 06 | Total FY 99-06 | Average Per Year FY 99-06 | |
| Egypt | 1,804 | 1,319 | 1,437 | 930 | 853 | 2,008 | 1,129 | 373 | 9,853 | 1,232 |
| Israel | 1,887 | 779 | 2,472 | 611 | 425 | 661 | 574 | 1,080 | 8,488 | 1,061 |
| United Arab Emirates | 37 | 5,683 | 135 | 220 | 130 | 138 | 26 | 769 | 7,139 | 892 |
| Saudi Arabia | 687 | 597 | 593 | 763 | 616 | 1,736 | 731 | 796 | 6,520 | 815 |
| Kuwait | 74 | 158 | 248 | 901 | 295 | 105 | 100 | 791 | 2,673 | 334 |
| Jordan | 11 | 91 | 88 | 98 | 151 | 467 | 121 | 214 | 1,241 | 155 |
| Oman | 4 | 3 | 3 | 734 | 9 | 106 | 46 | 18 | 923 | 115 |
| Iraq | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 222 | 454 | 676 | 85 |
| Bahrain | 43 | 145 | 105 | 88 | 95 | 69 | 26 | 94 | 664 | 83 |
| Morocco | 3 | 5 | 4 | 18 | 4 | 9 | 16 | 12 | 71 | 9 |
| All Others Middle East/South Asia | 3 | 21 | 8 | 167 | 454 | 578 | 1,403 | 5,542 | 8,175 | 1,022 |
| Total Middle East/South Asia | 4,553 | 8,802 | 5,094 | 4,531 | 3,032 | 5,876 | 4,393 | 10,143 | 46,423 | 5,803 |
Notes: Figures include Foreign Military Sales (FMS), Foreign Military Construction Sales, and a $5.47 billion licensed commercial agreement with the UAE in FY 00 for 80 F-16s. Adjustments for inflation made using DOD budget deflator. See Defense Security Cooperation Agency, "Historical Facts Book: As of September 30, 2006," pps. 1-13. "All Others" category includes: Afghanistan, Algeria, Bangladesh, India, Iran, Lebanon, Libya, Nepal, Pakistan (which received a $3.5 billion package of F-16 fighters in FY 06, which explains the large spike in the overall FY 06 total), Qatar, Sri Lanka, Syria, Tunisia, and Yemen. |
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Travis Sharp 202-546-0795 x123 tsharp@armscontrolcenter.org
Travis Sharp is the Military Policy Analyst at the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation where he performs policy work on national security spending, military policy, and Iraq. He has published letters and articles in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Foreign Policy in Focus, United Press International, and Peace Review.