The Forum on the Arms Trade is a network of civil society experts and a point of contact for strengthening public efforts to address the humanitarian, economic and other implications of arms transfers, security assistance, and weapons use. The Forum provides a venue for bringing its community's wide-ranging expertise together to amplify and strengthen its work, while also offering government and media members a one-stop resource for the latest information, analysis, and best contacts. Forum-listed experts are located around the world and work on diverse topics including human rights, development, arms control, humanitarian disarmament, cybersecurity, arms and the environment, anti-corruption, and related fields.
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US-Saudi Arms SalesBiden administration arms sales to Saudi Arabia are again receiving scrutiny after it was announced that OPEC would cut oil production. To date, more than $4 billion worth of weapons and services have been notified to Congress for potential sale to Saudi Arabia. See page for latest developments, including statements and efforts by members of Congress, official government resources, and civil society assessments and commentary.
Notification TrackerRecent FMS notifications: November 15- Switzerland $700 million for 72 Patriot missiles November 9 - Lithuania $495 million for 8 HIMARS launchers and about 200 missile pods Oman $385 million for 48 joint stand off weapons (JSOW) November 8 - Belgium $380 million for 120 advanced medium-range air-to-air missiles (AMRAAMs) November 2 - Australia $6.35 billion for 24 C-130J-30 aircraft Finland $535 million for hundreds of warheads for Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems October 20 - Japan $450 million for 32 SM-6 Block I missiles October 19 - Australia $162 million for MH-60R helicopter sustainment October 6 - Kuwait $3 billion for air defense systems and missiles September 27 - Kuwait $250 million for tank ammunition September 7 - Pakistan $450 million for F-16 sustainment September 2 - Taiwan $665.4 million for support to Surveillance Radar Program, $355 million for 60 Harpoon missiles, $85.6 million for 100 Sidewinder missiles August 25 - Australia $1.95 billion for 40 Black Hawk helicopters Morocco $141.1 million for ground command and control equipment August 9 - Brazil $74 million for 222 Javelin missile August 2 - Saudi Arabia $3.05 billion for 300 Patriot missiles UAE $2.245 billion for 96 THAAD missiles and 2 stations August 1 - United Kingdom $300 million for 513 Javelin launch units Greece $162.07 million for S-70B helicopter support July 28 - Germany $8.4 billion for thirty-five (35) F-35s and munitions July 25 - Singapore $640 million for F-15 bombs and training; Japan $293 million for 150 advanced air-to-air missiles (AMRAAMs) July 21 - Netherlands $1.219 billion for ninety-six (96) PATRIOT GEM-T missiles; Kuwait $397 million for hundreds of missiles and bombs for Eurofighter Typhoons; Australia $235 million for air-to-surface missiles; UAE $206 million for Oceanographic Observation Equipment System July 19 - UAE $980.4 million for C-17 sustainment Belgium $127 million for F-16 sustainment July 15 - Norway $950 million for more than 200 advanced medium-range air-to-air missiles; Estonia $500 million for six HIMARS launchers and 36 missile pods; South Korea $130 million for 31 lightweight torpedoes; Taiwan $108 million for tank and combat vehicle support... Calendar year 2022 total now more than $74 billion worldwide see resource
Experts PublicationsHighlighting publications in which Forum-listed experts were involved. Inclusion on the Forum on the Arms Trade expert list does not indicate agreement with or endorsement of the opinions of others.
William Hartung, "It’s Time to Cut Off Arms Sales to the Saudi Regime," The Nation, November 15, 2022.
Elias Yousif and Rachel Stohl, "A US Plan to Prevent Arms Diversion in Ukraine is Welcome But Just the First Step," Stimson Center, November 10, 2022. Bonnie Docherty, "An Agenda for Action: Alternative Processes for Negotiating a Killer Robots Treaty," Human Rights Watch and the Harvard Law School International Human Rights Clinic, November 10, 2022. Gabriela Iveliz Rosa-Hernandez, "The Art of the Possible: Minimizing Risks as a New European Order Takes Shape," Foreign Policy Research Institute, November 9, 2022. Natália Pollachi, "De olhos vendados para o mercado ilegal de armas," JOTA, November 8, 2022. Jordan Cohen, "Biden Had It Right… Until He Didn’t," Cato Institute, November 8, 2022. William Hartung, "Pentagon Blocks Contractor Push for Inflation Bailout," Forbes, November 7, 2022. Jordan Cohen, "Controling US Arms, Not Aid, to Yemen," Inkstick, November 3, 2022. Elias Yousif and Rachel Stohl, "The Dilemma of Depending on Allies," in Stimson Center's "Experts React: The Biden Administration’s National Defense Strategy," November 2, 2022. Jordan Cohen, "State Dept. plan to track weapons for Ukraine should be starting point," Federal Times, November 2, 2022. Wanda Muñoz, "Inteligencia Artificial Feminista: Hacia un agenda de investigación para América Latina," Red FAIR LAC, November 1, 2022. Jeff Abramson, "Biden Urged to Halt Arms Sales to Saudi Arabia," Arms Control Today, November 2022. Jeff Abramson, "Mexico Files New Gun Lawsuit in U.S. Court," Arms Control Today, November 2022. William Hartung, "Despite Outcries About Inflation, Major Arms Makers Are Doing Just Fine," Forbes, October 28, 2022. William Hartung, "The U.S-Saudi Relationship Is Overrated," The National Interest, October 25, 2022. Rachel Stohl, "Mixed Reviews: Positive Developments and Negative Trends in 2021 ATT Annual Reports," Stimson Center, October 25, 2022. Kate Kizer, "Where the Rubber Meets the Road in Saudi Arabia," Inkstick, October 24, 2022 Kate Kizer, "Letting Accountability Dictate US-Saudi Relationship," Inkstick, October 21, 2022. Elias Yousif, “U.S. Security Assistance to Ukraine Breaks All Precedents," Stimson Center, October 20, 2022. William Hartung, "Promoting Stability or Fueling Conflict? The Impact of U.S. Arms Sales on National and Global Security," Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, October 20, 2022. William Hartung, "Bombs & guns: Biden’s ‘business as usual’ approach to US arms sales," Responsible Statecraft, October 20, 2022. Elias Yousif, “US Security Cooperation with Gulf OPEC States Amidst Energy Cuts," Stimson Center, October 17, 2022. William Hartung, “An end to US military support for Saudi Arabia is long overdue," The Hill, October 12, 2022. View the full list of recent and past publications featuring Forum on the Arms Trade-listed experts.
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Arms Transfers to UkraineMore than two dozen countries have announced or delivered weapons to Ukraine. See our resource page to track continually updated developments.
Find experts who speak...Latest "This Week in Arms Trade Publications"
Click image above for the latest collection of publications by Forum-listed experts, and other updates on arms trade, security assistance and weapons use. Sign up to receive directly via email and check archived editions here.
Meet the Emerging ExpertsCurrent program participants (mid-2022 to mid-2023) are based in Austria, Canada, Germany, Italy, Kenya, Mexico, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Meet them here.
U.S. Arms Exports Under Congressional Notification Thresholds
Under U.S. law, Congress must be notified of certain potential arms exports when their value reaches a minimum threshold. There are, however, arms exports that fail to meet that threshold, and it is very difficult to assess the number and amount of such "under threshold" transfers. There is evidence, however, that the value of U.S. weapons delivered internationally that were not notified to Congress beforehand is in the tens of billions, creating a transparency and public knowledge challenge in understanding U.S. arms trade practice and its impact.
Conventional Arms Transfer PolicyThe Biden administration is revising U.S. conventional arms transfer (CAT) policy, with media at one point reporting a possible release in September 2021 and a policy placing greater emphasis on human rights. This resource includes past policies, general policy recommendations from Forum-listed experts, and other relevant material. It will be updated as information about the new CAT policy becomes available.
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Experts
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The Forum is based at the Arms Control Association. Partners are not responsible for the work of the Forum nor does
partnership indicate agreement with or endorsement of the opinions of other partners, listed experts, or resources produced by the Forum.
partnership indicate agreement with or endorsement of the opinions of other partners, listed experts, or resources produced by the Forum.