Exports of Arkansas weapons increase, helping the economy

President Donald Trump has presented international arms sales as a boon for American business, and in southern Arkansas, the numbers bear him out.

Exports of Arkansas arms and ammunition and related materials soared from $84.9 million in 2017 to $469.6 million in 2018, according to the Arkansas Economic Development Commission.

That’s an increase of 453.13%, the state agency said, crediting IHS Markit’s Global Trade Atlas as the source of its data.

Most of that money can be traced to or through the Camden area, the center of the defense industry in the Natural State.

Supporters say the overseas sales help America’s allies while also strengthening Arkansas’ economy.

Critics warn that the transactions help to prop up authoritarian regimes and that civilians often suffer when the weapons are used.

Arms sales accounted for 7.3% of all Arkansas exports last year, up from 1.7% in 2017, the data showed.

Arkansas weapons exports, second only to the state’s civilian aircraft industry, generated more money than rice or cotton exports.

For trade purposes, “arms and ammunition” would encompass guns, grenades, cartridges, projectiles, bombs, mines, missiles and torpedoes, plus related parts and accessories, although not all of these are part of what is made in Arkansas and sold to Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia, which has launched bloody attacks with U.S. assistance in neighboring Yemen, is largely responsible for the surge in Arkansas exports, state officials say.

Arms shipments there climbed nearly 20-fold between 2017 and 2018, enough to move Saudi Arabia into the top tier of Arkansas export destinations.

The country was Arkansas’ 19th-largest foreign market in 2017, the Economic Development Commission said. Last year, it climbed to No. 3 on the list, leapfrogging far larger nations, including China, Germany, France and Great Britain.

“Saudi Arabia has jumped, so far, as one of our top export countries, and it’s because of the missile systems that are done right there in south Arkansas,” said Mike Preston, the Economic Development Commission director.

Other Persian Gulf countries have also been buying from Arkansas.

The United Arab Emirates, an ally in Saudi Arabia’s Yemeni conflict, imported a total of $40.7 million in Arkansas arms and ammunition in 2017 and 2018, according to the state Economic Development Commission.