The world's biggest arms exporter has reported record sales to developing
countries, particularly nuclear-armed rivals Pakistan and India.
The latest "Military Expenditures and Arms Transfers" report, for the years
1999 and 2000, said developing countries had increased spending by 18% to
$245bn in the ten years to 1999.
India and Pakistan "had the highest average annual growth rate of any
region in the decade, with five percent," the State Department report said.
The US is the world's leading arms merchant, accounting for almost 65% of
the all weapons sales in 1999, the report said.
"The United States ... is likely to dominate the world arms market in the
near future," it said.
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