U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order that would re-prioritize the customer list for U.S. weapons in favor of countries with higher defense spending and strategic importance in their region, the White House said on Friday.
The executive order establishing the “America First Arms Transfer Strategy” marks a significant shift in U.S. arms sales policy. It directs federal agencies to prioritize foreign military sales to partners that have invested substantially in their own self-defense capabilities and occupy critical roles or geographies.
With the order, Trump directs the federal government to use US weapons sales as a central tool of foreign policy while expanding domestic defense production and strengthening the US industrial base.
The order asserts that American-made military equipment is “the best in the world” and says arms transfers should be used more deliberately to advance US national security interests, boost domestic manufacturing and reinforce military readiness at home and among allies.
Under the directive, the Trump administration will prioritize foreign arms sales that expand US production capacity for weapons and platforms deemed most operationally relevant to the National Security Strategy.
The order also emphasizes using foreign capital to support reindustrialization, supply chain resilience and innovation within the US defense sector, including by encouraging participation from nontraditional defense companies.
The strategy calls for prioritizing arms transfers to partners that invest in their own defense, occupy strategically important regions, or contribute to US economic security.
It also seeks to avoid exacerbating backlogs that could affect US or allied military readiness.
According to the order, within 120 days, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, in coordination with the secretaries of state and commerce, is required to submit a catalog of priority weapons systems that the US will encourage allies and partners to purchase.
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