Follow the Money
US Military Aid Worldwide
The United States spends $68 billion per year in foreign assistance — much of it military. Israel gets $3.8 billion guaranteed. Egypt gets $1.3 billion to not attack Israel. Human rights conditions exist on paper. In practice, they are waived.
$68B
Annual Foreign Aid
$3.8B
Israel (Annual)
$850B
Total Since 2001
75+
Recipient Countries
Top Recipients — Annual Military Aid
Cumulative Aid Since 2001
Country-by-Country Breakdown
Israel
Military (FMF)$3.8B/yrGuaranteed $3.8B/yr through 2028 MOU. Only country allowed to spend 26.3% of FMF on domestic defense industry. No conditions on human rights.
Cumulative since 2001: $158B
Ukraine
Military + Economic$8B/yrSurged from ~$500M/yr to $24B+ after 2022. Largest single aid package since the Marshall Plan.
Cumulative since 2001: $113B
Egypt
Military (FMF)$1.3B/yr$1.3B/yr since 1979 Camp David Accords. Conditions waived annually despite coups, mass killings, political prisoners.
Cumulative since 2001: $43B
Jordan
Military + Economic$1.6B/yrKey ally bordering Iraq, Syria, Israel. $1.65B/yr. Hosts US troops and bases.
Cumulative since 2001: $22B
Afghanistan
Military + Reconstruction$300M/yr$136B total — built an army that collapsed in 11 days. Current aid is humanitarian only.
Cumulative since 2001: $136B
Iraq
Military + Reconstruction$1.5B/yr$82B rebuilding a country the US destroyed. Counter-ISIS support ongoing.
Cumulative since 2001: $82B
Pakistan
Military + Coalition Support$500M/yrPaid $33B for "coalition support" while harboring Osama bin Laden.
Cumulative since 2001: $33B
Colombia
Military + Counter-narcotics$800M/yrPlan Colombia. $15B for drug war that didn't reduce drug production.
Cumulative since 2001: $15B
Taiwan
Arms Sales$2B/yrArms sales increasing amid China tensions. $2B/yr in recent packages.
Cumulative since 2001: $12B
Saudi Arabia
Arms Sales (purchased)Not "aid" — Saudi buys US weapons. $110B deal signed 2017. Used in Yemen war.
Cumulative since 2001: $110B
Japan
Host nation supportJapan pays $2B/yr to host 54,000 US troops. Net recipient of security, not aid.
South Korea
Host nation supportPays ~$1B/yr to host 28,500 US troops. Ongoing since 1953 armistice.
Philippines
Military$200M/yrIncreasing aid tied to China sea disputes and expanded base access.
Cumulative since 2001: $3B
Somalia
Military + Counter-terror$250M/yrAFRICOM operations. Training Somali forces. Drone strikes ongoing.
Cumulative since 2001: $4B
Niger
Military$100M/yr$100M air base built. US expelled after 2023 coup.
Cumulative since 2001: $1B
Human Rights Waivers — When Conditions Don't Matter
US law (the Leahy Law) prohibits military aid to foreign security forces that commit “gross violations of human rights.” In practice, the State Department waives these conditions routinely for strategic allies.
Egypt
2013–presentSisi regime killed 1,000+ protesters in Rabaa massacre. US waived Leahy Law conditions every year to continue $1.3B in aid.
Saudi Arabia
2015–2022US-made bombs used on school buses, weddings, funerals in Yemen. Arms sales continued. Biden promised to end support — didn't fully follow through.
Israel
2023–presentDespite Leahy Law prohibiting aid to units committing gross human rights violations, no unit has ever been sanctioned. $3.8B continues unconditionally.
Colombia
2000s"False positives" scandal: Colombian military killed 6,000+ civilians, dressed them as guerrillas for body count bonuses — while receiving US military aid.
Philippines
2016–2022Duterte's drug war killed 12,000-30,000. US military aid continued, including counterterrorism support.
Aid vs. Arms Sales: The Distinction That Doesn't Matter
Foreign Military Financing (FMF): Grants to buy US weapons. The money goes to the Pentagon and defense contractors, not the recipient country. Israel, Egypt, and Jordan are the largest FMF recipients.
Foreign Military Sales (FMS): Government-to-government arms deals. Saudi Arabia's $110B deal, UAE's F-35 agreement. The buyer pays, but the US government brokers and approves.
Direct Commercial Sales: US defense companies sell directly to foreign governments with State Department approval. Less oversight than FMS.
The bottom line: Whether it's “aid” or “sales,” US weapons end up in the same hands, in the same conflicts, killing the same civilians. The distinction is accounting, not moral.