U.S. Arms Transfers: Government Data
| FAS Resources | Other Databases | Reports |
American arms manufacturers have two major channels through which they can sell major weaponry to foreign countries: foreign military sales ("FMS"), in which a government-to-government agreement is negotiated by the Pentagon; and direct commercial sales ("DCS"), in which industry negotiates directly with the purchasing country and must apply for a license from the State Department.
The United States government also transfers arms to other countries by giving away weapons from U.S. military stocks for free or at greatly reduced prices, classified as excess defense articles (EDA) or emergency "drawdowns." The United States also provides military training to many foreign countries. These transfers are also managed by the Defense Department. For more information about types of U.S. arms transfers, read the "Ways and Means" chapter of The Arms Trade Revealed.- Defense Trade Data, U.S. Government Accountability Office, GAO-06-319r, January 2006.
- Congressional Reports and DSCA Reports Control System, Appendix Five, Security Assistance Management Manual, Defense Security Cooperation Agency, U.S. Department of Defense. January 2006.
- Database of Notifications to Congress of Pending U.S. Arms Transfers. Contains summaries of notifications to Congress of proposed Foreign Military Sales and Direct Commercial Sales. Searchable by region, country, date, weapon system, and transfer type.
- "Foreign Military Sales: Major Arms Sales Notification Process (Sec. 36(b), AECA), Business Operations-Comptroller, Operations and Administration, Defense Security Cooperation Agency, 17 May 2005.
- Database on Small Arms Shipments from the US, 1990-2000. US State Department data (obtained under the Freedom of Information Act) on commercial small arms shipments. Searchable by couuntry, region and year.
- "A Guide to the US Small Arms Market, Industry, and Exports, 1998-2004 by Tamar Gabelnick, Maria Haug, and Lora Lumpe, Small Arms Survey Occasional Paper 19.
- Records about Military Goods and Services Provided to Foreign Countries, 1950-2002, U.S. National Archives & Records Administration (NARA). Includes records of defense articles transferred under several different Defense Department programs. Search by country, item description number, type of assistance, program year, delivery quarter, area code and Unified Command. For other NARA military assistance databases, click here.
- The Excess Defense Articles Online Database, maintained by the Pentagon's Defense Security Cooperation Agency, includes up-to-date information on surplus weaponry given away to U.S. allies for free or at substantially reduced prices.
- Database of authorized transfers of small arms and light weapons, Norweigan Initiative on Small Arms Transfers.
- Arms Transfers Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
| Section 655 Reports | FMS Facts | ATF | CRS | US Census Bureau |
| World Bank Statistics | UN Register | WMEAT | Budget Justifications |
● "Section 655" Reports to Congress:
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FY 2006: Includes DCS. Broken down by country.
- FY 2005: Includes DCS, FMS, EDA, IMET, and drawdown assistance. Broken down by country.
- FY 2004: Includes DCS, FMS, EDA, IMET, and drawdown assistance. Broken down by country.
- FY 2003: Includes DCS, FMS, EDA, IMET, and drawdown assistance. Broken down by country.
- FY 2002: Includes DCS, FMS, EDA, IMET, and drawdown assistance. Broken down by country.
- FY 2001: Includes DCS, FMS, EDA, IMET, and drawdown assistance. Broken down by country.
- FY 2000: Includes DCS, FMS, EDA, IMET, and drawdown assistance. Broken down by country.
- FY 1999: Includes DCS and FMS. Broken down by country and region.
- FY 1998: Includes DCS, EDA Authorized, EDA Furnished, Drawdowns, FMS, and IMET. Broken down by country and region.
- "FAS Obtains a Copy of U.S. Arms Sales Report," Strategic Security Blog, 20 September 2006.
- William Matthews, "DoD Sold Arms Worth $12.6B in 2004," Defense News, 15 December 2005.
- State Department Needs to Resolve Data Reliability Problems that Led to Inaccurate Reporting to Congress on Foreign Arms Sales, GAO-05-156R, 28 January 2004.
● Foreign Military Sales, Foreign Military Construction Sales and Military Assistance Facts is published by the Pentagon's Defense Security Cooperation Agency; the most current online edition includes information through FY 2006.
● Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, "Annual Firearms Manufacturers and Export Report," 2005.
● Congressional Research Service
- Conventional Arms Transfers to Developing Nations, 1999-2006 (34187) 26 September 2007.
- U.S. Arms Sales: Agreements with and Deliveries to Major Clients, 1998-2005, (33758) 15 December 2006.
- Conventional Arms Transfers to Developing Nations, 1998-2005 (33217) 23 October 2006.
- U.S. Arms Sales: Agreements with and Deliveries to Major Clients, 1996-2004, (33217) 29 December 2005.
- Conventional Arms Transfers to Developing Nations, 1997-2004 (RL33051) 29 August 2005.
- U.S. Arms Sales: Agreements with and Deliveries to Major Clients, 1996-2003, (32689) 8 December 2004.
- Conventional Arms Transfers to Developing Nations, 1995-2003 (RL32547) 30 August 2004.
- Conventional Arms Transfers to Developing Nations, 1995-2002 (RL32084) 22 September 2003.
- Conventional Arms Transfers to Developing Nations, 1994-2001 (RL31529) 6 August 2002.
- Conventional Arms Transfers to Developing Nations, 1993-2000 (RL31083) 16 August 2001.
● U.S. arms deliveries, category totals, 1994-1998. 1999. U.S. Census Bureau data, collected from shippers' export declarations, sorted by commodity type; includes specific recipient data from the Government Information Sharing Project.
● World Bank Statistics on States' Arms Imports and Exports, as percentage of total imports and exports, 1990-1999.
● United Nations Register of Conventional Arms.
● World Military Expenditures and Arms Transfers (WMEAT) is published by the U.S. State Department. Sales data in the most recent online report covers the 1989-1999 decade, and adds two years of sales data to the last report. Starting with the 1997 edition, the WMEAT report includes estimates of direct commercial sales based on licenses authorized. Prior to the 1997 report, figures for U.S. arms sales were probably understated.The following reports are available in pdf format:
- 1999-2000, also available by section:
- Introduction
- Highlights: Military Expenditures
- Highlights: Armed Forces
- Highlights: Arms Transfers
- Highlights: Military Burden
- Regional Trends
- Country Rankings
- Table 1: Military Expenditures and Economic Indicators
- Table 2: Arms Deliveries and Total Trade
- Table 3: Arms Deliveries by Supplier and Recipient
- Table 4: Arms Agreements and Deliveries
- Table 5: Weapons Deliveries by Supplier and Type
- Statistical Notes
● Congressional Budget Justifications:
● U.S. Army Weapons System Handbook contains detailed descriptions of many U.S. military weapons systems.
For a general guide to key sources of data and analysis on the arms trade, check out the "For More Information" chapter of The Arms Trade Revealed: a Guide for Investigators and Activists.
