Mounting security concerns across the globe, stemming from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to China’s aggressive posture in the Far East, prompted U.S. arms sales to surge by nearly 50 percent in 2022, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said Thursday.

The DSCA, a subsidiary of the Defense Department, reported that during fiscal year 2022 the U.S. saw roughly $52 billion worth of arms sales compared to the nearly $35 billion in sales reported in 2021.

“Perhaps most importantly, [we attribute this to] the understanding among our partners and allies that we’re back in an age of great power competition,” DSCA Director James Hursch said. “They see what’s happened in Ukraine.”

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