Trump to unleash more global arms sales
The easing of restrictions on international weapons deals could create U.S. jobs, but critics fear it will inflame war zones.
By BRYAN BENDER and TARA PALMERI 09/29/2017 05:09 AM EDT
President Donald Trump is preparing to ease some restrictions on U.S. weapons sales overseas, sparking concerns about further flooding the international market with high-tech weapons and inflaming feuds in hot spots like the Middle East.
The changes, which could include enlisting the State Department and Pentagon to more actively advocate on behalf of American arms manufacturers, are set to be included in an executive order or presidential memorandum that Trump will issue this fall, according to three administration officials involved in the deliberations.
The U.S. is already the global leader in weapons exports, accounting for more than half the world's annual arms deals. The new "arms transfer initiative," being run out of the White House National Security Council, aims to make U.S. companies more competitive when allies are shopping for fighter jets, ground vehicles, warships, missile defenses and other military gear in an intensely competitive market, the officials told POLITICO.
Those efforts would include establishing a more active government role in pushing U.S. products, beyond what military and diplomatic officials already do to help defense firms sell their wares internationally. This could also strengthen the defense industrial base and create jobs on production lines that Pentagon investments don’t fully support.
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http://www.politico.com/story/2017/09/29/trump-global-arms-sales-243282
