Elizabeth Morgan | Death merchants – producers and exporters of arms, ammunition

“ There is many a boy here today who looks on war as all glory, but, boys, it is all hell.”

– Union General, William T. Sherman, American Civil War, 1861-1865

The wars currently in Ukraine and the Middle East are showcasing a range of new weapon technology, which are absolutely terrifying, at least for some of us. It is now possible with precision technology to identify locations in another country where top government officials, military personnel, and scientists are located and assassinate them from remote locations. This is not just identifying and bombing boats in the Caribbean or even carrying out a raid in Venezuela. Those are probably considered traditional fare, as is the bombing of Gaza. Gaza demonstrated that with modern aircrafts and bombs, an urban area can be completely destroyed with little regard for civilian casualties and the built environment. The 1945 sustained bombing of the city of Dresden in World War 2 was widely condemned as an immoral act. This happened in 2024/2025.

Regarding technology, one specific thing noted in the Venezuela raid was President Donald Trump’s public revelation that the US military had the means of turning out the lights in Caracas. This was apparently effected using cyber technology.

In September 2024, the media reported that Israel had assassinated the Secretary General of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, at his supposedly secure location in Lebanon using laser detection and bunker busting bombs. We heard more about the bunker busting bombs when the US military used them to “obliterate” Iran’s nuclear weapons materials in June 2025. With the war in Ukraine, we have become accustomed to hearing about drones used by Russia to bomb cities in Ukraine and of Ukraine’s ability to intercept them. Some of us newbies may have thought drones were mainly used in agriculture and entertainment. Although it is believed that the Jamaica Constabulary Force demonstrated a drone at one of their expos.

SHOWCASING NEW WEAPONS

It may be recalled that the US military Humvee vehicle sparked a great deal of interest when it was showcased during the 1990/91 Gulf War.

In over two weeks of the US/Israel-Iran war, a range of new and improved weapons are being showcased, such as precision strike missiles, upgraded drones and interceptors. There are people online who cannot contain their excitement about all this new technology and weaponry. For some on YouTube, their glee would not lead one to believe that these are instruments of death and destruction. In two weeks, it is estimated that over 11,000 Iranian civilians were killed and injured; and 13 American military personnel killed. It is not known exactly how many Iranian military personnel have been killed, though, it is reported that the Supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, and members of his family were killed and injured, as well as high ranking military leaders. Those killed and injured from Israel, Lebanon, and the Gulf States also have to be counted.

WARTIME SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATIONS

War has facilitated innovation to produce better weapons and means of defeating enemies since the dawn of time. Many scientific and technological innovations, now taken for granted, came out of World War 2. These include: radar, jet engines, computers, various communications devices, synthetic rubber, superglue, microwave, missiles, nuclear energy, penicillin, and others.

Current research could see armies moving further into the Star Wars age with autonomous androids and other humanoid robots using artificial intelligence. Military spending in research and development amounts to billions of dollars.

THE VALUE OF THE ARMS TRADE

Due to the GATT security exception, the trade in arms, ammunition and military vehicles and equipment does not come within the purview of the World Trade Organization. The trade is regulated under the 2013 UN Arms Trade Treaty. 118 countries are parties to this treaty. The USA and Russia, major arms producers, have not ratified it. In fact, the USA is the world’s largest producer of arms and ammunition.

Arms production and sales (exports and imports) are very big business. It is reported that, in 2024, the global arms trade was valued at an estimated US$112 billion. The USA is the top exporter accounting for 43% of major arms exports from 2020-2024. Spending on arms and ammunition have increased significantly since the start of the Ukraine war in 2022. Spending in Western Europe has increased dramatically.

The top arms exporters are the USA, EU, Russia, and China. The USA and EU account for about 74 per cent of all major arms exports.

Note that some of these countries, including the USA, have reduced their spending on overseas development aid.

ILLEGAL ARMS AND CRIME

Note that the Western Hemisphere, where the largest producer and exporter of arms is located, has the world’s highest gun-related homicide rate. This is particularly the case in Latin America and the Caribbean. The illegal trade in guns was addressed in this column on October 7, 2025. Illegal guns are a critical security issue in Latin America and the Caribbean and the majority come from the USA where gun laws are very lax. It is a problem to a lesser degree in Canada. Note that the Trump administration has created the Shield of the Americas like-minded alliance to deal with drug cartels.

Illegal guns and gun crimes are also a problem in the USA where mass shootings are very common. People resident in the USA are allowed to have military type weapons in their possession. It is argued that it is their Constitutional right. The USA has the highest gun ownership per capita in the world. It also seems to have a number of well-armed militia groups.

MILITARY SECURITY

Let us be clear that the majority of the world’s developing countries, including Small Island Developing States, cannot afford the advanced military ordinance being displayed in the Middle East and Ukraine for their security forces. It is assumed that they are aware of their vulnerability to the military/security prowess of the US and others, at least from sea and air. Without updated international laws, commitment to adherence, and the ability to respond, strategic points in countries could be obliterated solely from air and sea, or even more remotely. In this, we have not begun to talk about the nine countries, including the USA and Israel, which possess nuclear weapons. So, instead of focusing on development issues, could countries now be prioritising their military security?

These, indeed, are troubling times. So much to assess.

Elizabeth Morgan is a specialist in international trade policy and international politics. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com.