Arms Sales to Mexico Spike; US Is the Top Supplier Mark Browne - CNSNews.com
go to original February 23, 2017

Purchases and transfers of military equipment to Mexico have increased dramatically over the past five years compared to the five before, with the U.S. accounting for more than half of all transfers.

According to a new report by a Swedish think tank that monitors the flow of weapons globally, the Mexican government has been on a buying spree with transfers of weaponry and equipment into the country growing by 184 percent between the 2007-2011 period and the 2012-2016 period.

The report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said the US was the largest supplier of arms to Mexico in the 2012-16 period, providing 56 percent of all transfers, followed by Spain at 11 percent and France at 11 percent.

Venezuela was the largest importer of arms and military equipment in South America during the period.

Arms shipments to Colombia decreased by 19 percent, as peace talks with Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebels progressed, the report noted.

It said 34 percent of deliveries to South America during the period were from Russia, followed by the U.S. at 16 percent and France at 8.1 percent.

“Mexico received armored transfer vehicles, transport aircraft, transport helicopters and a few patrol boats,” explained Nan Tian, a researcher with SIPRI’s Arms and Military Expenditure Program.

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Related: Global Arms Trade at Highest Level Since Cold War (Veterans Today)

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