Trump's "America First" Arms Strategy Favours High-Spending Allies

US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order that reshapes the country’s arms export policy by prioritizing weapons sales to nations with higher defense spending and greater strategic importance, the White House said on Friday. The move has been framed as part of a broader effort to align foreign military sales more closely with American security and industrial interests.

The order establishes what the administration has termed the “America First Arms Transfer Strategy,” marking a departure from the long-standing first-come, first-served approach to US weapons exports. Under the new framework, federal agencies are directed to give preference to countries that have made significant investments in their own defense capabilities and occupy key geopolitical positions in their regions.

According to the White House, the strategy aims to accelerate the delivery of US-manufactured weapons to allies considered critical for regional stability, while simultaneously using foreign demand to strengthen domestic defense production capacity. No specific countries were named in the executive order, but officials said the focus would be on partners whose defense policies align with US strategic objectives.

Also Read: 2 Men Injured in Bouncer Assault at Impulse Bar, Garden Galleria Mall, Noida

The order also assigns new responsibilities to senior officials. The Secretaries of Defense, State, and Commerce have been tasked with developing a prioritized catalogue of military platforms and systems, as well as identifying sales opportunities that support the strategy’s goals. In addition, the administration has called for streamlining bureaucratic procedures, including end-use monitoring and third-party transfer approvals, to reduce delays and improve transparency.

For decades, US arms sales have largely been processed in the order they were received, with changes to prioritization requiring significant procedural hurdles. The White House said this “partner-first” system contributed to production backlogs and delivery delays that did not always align with US manufacturing capacity. By favoring high-spending and strategically significant partners, the administration argues that defense exports can better serve both national security interests and domestic industrial revitalization.

The policy shift comes against the backdrop of increased defense spending commitments among US allies, including a 2025 agreement by NATO leaders to support a new target of spending 5 percent of GDP on defense, reinforcing collective security obligations.

Also Read: PNB Recruitment 2026: 5,138 Apprentice Jobs Open, Rs 12,300–15,000 Stipend