Middle East Arms Race Galloping Forward

Defense companies in the US are struggling to keep up with a surge of orders from militaries in the Middle East. Air campaigns in Yemen, Iraq, Syria, the Egyptian Sinai and Libya have depleted the stocks of bombs and missiles from the air forces of the US, NATO allies and several Middle East air forces, leading them to clamor for urgent resupply. Industry experts estimate that the campaign against the Islamic State (IS) terror militia in Syria and Iraq has led to the expenditure of roughly $5.2 billion worth of ordnance as of 2 December, with no slowdown in sight. The demand for small arms and equipment has also boomed as regional governments have increased their support for proxy militias fighting in the regions various conflicts.