To maintain a competitive edge in the global arms trade, it is necessary to understand the dynamics of an evolving market shaped by the emergence of new exporters and military technologies. Significant gaps remain in understanding the market’s fundamental characteristics, including the multifaceted interactions among participants—not only governments and industry but also non-state actors and illicit networks—and the resulting patterns of trade and international armament cooperation (both government-to-government agreements and industry-to-government offsets). Research is needed on the drivers of exporter and importer behavior, particularly how states decide which capabilities to acquire and whether to do so through indigenous production, cooperative production, or importation. Of particular interest is how public and government perceptions of major exporters and export systems, such as the U.S. Foreign Military Sales and Direct Commercial Sales systems, develop and evolve over time.
- Burgess, Maj. Thomas G., "Security Cooperation and Coalition Partnership in the Indo-Pacific," AFGC thesis, 2026.
- Burgess answers this by exploring how the U.S. processes arms sales through Title 10 military objectives and Title 22 diplomatic and human rights considerations. He argues that the U.S.'s strict emphasis on democratic values and human rights conditionality creates an indelible rift with Southeast Asian nations, whose governments often lack ideological underpinnings. This values-based approach prevents the development of trust, driving importer behavior toward China, whose military diplomacy and arms transfers are offered unconditionally, irrespective of a partner's human rights record. By highlighting this dilemma, Burgess demonstrates how the ideological constraints tied to U.S. arms sales make China a more attractive security partner for less-democratic regimes seeking to maintain non-alignment.