Biden overhauls policy on transfer of arms to other countries, requiring stricter human rights review

The White House on Thursday overhauled its policy on the transfer of arms to foreign countries, requiring a stricter review of potential human rights violations when weapons are exported across the world.

A new memo on the Conventional Arms Transfer (CAT) policy says the executive branch will decline the transfer of weapons and munitions if the U.S. “assesses that it is more likely than not” they will be used to commit genocide, crimes against humanity, attacks on civilians or other human rights abuses.

According to Reuters, which first reported on the updated CAT policy, the previous language was to decline the transfer of arms when there was “actual knowledge” of human rights violations.

The White House encourages a close review for the export of arms on a case-by-case basis, and to “exercise restraint in transfers of weapons systems that may be destabilizing or dangerous to international peace and security.”

The overhaul in policy means there will be more of a balancing act on defense article shipments for the U.S., the globe’s largest arms trader.

Washington accounts for about 40 percent of the world’s arms exports, which is big business for defense contractors such as Raytheon Technologies and Lockheed Martin.

Critics have recently slammed U.S. arms shipments for fueling the war in Yemen, where thousands of civilians have died.

From 2015 to 2021, the U.S. shipped $54.6 billion worth of military support to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which are both involved in the Yemen war.

A report from Oxfam International last month tied the death of 87 civilians to a Saudi-led coalition supplied by the U.S. and the United Kingdom.

The transfer of arms to other nations is part of a wider goal for the U.S. to enhance global security, bolster ties with other nations, deter adversaries such as China and Russia, and to strengthen the U.S. industrial base.

Washington also seeks to “serve as a model for other countries’ policies on the responsible international transfer of conventional arms.”