U.S. Arms Transfers as a Geoeconomic Vector: Evidence from Transatlantic Defense Cooperation

This article argues that U.S. foreign and security policy is increasingly intertwined with the promotion of U.S. arms transfers (sales), thereby reflecting an enhanced geoeconomic orientation. Yet how effectively has the United States pursued this strategy among EU countries? Has this geoeconomic dimension been systematically incorporated in transatlantic security cooperation? To answer these questions, the study analyzes EU member states’ post-2000 procurement patterns in terms of the relative weight of U.S.-sourced heavy weapons in their orders. The analysis provides preliminary but systematic and consistent evidence showing a positive association between U.S. geoeconomic orientation and a higher share of European acquisitions of U.S. arms – an association that is stronger within the EU–NATO subset. To the author’s knowledge, this is the first study to examine such a geoeconomic linkage in the transatlantic context.