US supplied military products worth record-high $318.7 billion last year

In fiscal year 2024, the United States delivered or provided to other countries worth weapons, military equipment and services worth record-high $318.7 billion, according to a report, published by the US Department of State. "In FY2024 the total value of transferred defense articles and services and security cooperation activities conducted under the Foreign Military Sales system was $117.9 billion. This represents a 45.7% increase, up from $80.9 billion in FY2023. This is the highest ever annual total of sales and assistance provided to our allies and partners," the report says.

The total reflects includes $96.9 billion in arms sales funded by US allies and partner nations. The rest was transferred as part of various programs. The total authorized value for privately contracted Direct Commercial Sales (DCS) authorizations in the reported period was $200.8 billion, which includes the value of hardware, services, and technical data. This represents a 27.5% increase, up from $157.5 billion in FY2023.

President Trump wants to reduce US military presence in Europe

President Donald Trump wants to reduce the US military presence in Europe by 20,000 troops and demand a "greater contribution" from European countries for the upkeep of the rest, ANSA said, citing its sources in Brussels. "Trump proceeds from the fact that US servicemen are a containment instrument, therefore, their expenses cannot be covered by US taxpayers alone," the news agency cited one of its sources as saying, specifying that all plans are currently in the early phase and have not yet been specifically discussed with European partners. However, the stance of the new US president who has always believed that Europe must do more to ensure its own security is well-known. For instance, Trump has already indicated a threshold of 5% GDP for military expenditures within the NATO framework. The news agency insisted that last year, EU total defense spending on average amounted to 1.9%, while in Russia, this figure is purportedly up to 9%.

According to ANSA’s calculations, up to 80,000 US troops may remain in Europe, although their exact number is unknown. According to its estimates, about 12,000 US troops are stationed in various bases in Italy, including the NATO ones (in Aviano, Naples, Sigonella, Vicenza, Pisa and Latina).

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