Western Hemisphere Regional

The Trump administration has undone a weak Biden-era restriction on arms sales to countries that might use U.S.-provided weapons in violation of international humanitarian law.

• “US Scraps Order Linking Arms Sales to International Law” (Al Jazeera, February 25, 2025).

Trump revokes Biden-era policy, prompted by Israel’s Gaza war, restricting US arms sales over human rights concerns

• Humeyra Pamuk, Simon Lewis , “Trump Rescinds Order on Rights Abuses With US-Supplied Weapons, Sources Say” (Reuters, Reuters, February 24, 2025).

Argentina

The Milei government is taking delivery on an order of F-16 aircraft begun during the Biden administration, and refurbishing U.S.-provided P-3 aircraft.

• “Argentina Unveils Non-Airworthy F-16 for Training Purposes” (MercoPress, February 25, 2025).
• “Asi Es el Primer Avion F-16 de la Fuerza Aerea Argentina” (Perfil (Argentina), February 25, 2025).
• Federico Galligani, “El Gobierno Presento el Armamento de los F-16 y Anuncio Cuando Arribaran a la Argentina los Otros Aviones” (Infobae, February 24, 2025).

El ministro de Defensa, Luis Petri, encabezó un acto junto a la aeronave Nº 25, la cual servirá para adiestramiento y no tiene capacidad de vuelo. Cómo son los misiles que llegarán de los Estados Unidos

• “Armada Argentina: El Segundo Avion P-3c Orion Ingresara en Etapa de Remodelacion en ee.uu” (Perfil (Argentina), February 12, 2025).

Se encuentra a la espera de su turno para ser enviado a las instalaciones del aeropuerto de Keystone Heights, ubicado en la localidad de Florida, base aérea donde se realizarán tareas de puesta en servicio de la aeronave militar.

Central America Regional, Dominican Republic

Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, and the Dominican Republic adopted an OAS “Roadmap to Prevent Trafficking in and the Illicit Proliferation of Arms, Ammunition and Explosives.”

• “Oea Informa de Acuerdo Con Centroamerica y Republica Dominicana Contra Trafico de Armas” (EFE, La Hora (Guatemala), February 13, 2025).

Colombia, Peru

Colombia was to buy Swedish-made Gripen fighter planes, but the U.S. government is vetoing the sale of its U.S.-made engines. Colombia may consider Chinese alternatives.

• Boyko Nikolov, “Us Preparing Veto on Gripen Sale to Colombia, Is Peru Next?” (BulgarianMilitary.com, February 25, 2025).

According to SA Defense the US will block the sale of the GE F414-GE-39E engine, a key component of Sweden’s Saab Gripen E fighter jet, to Colombia’s Air Force

Mexico

Several stories about arms trafficking across the U.S. border, the subject of arguments in Mexico’s lawsuit against U.S. weapons companies, which went before the Supreme Court on March 4.

• Julian Resendiz, “Mexico Expels Us Citizen Allegedly Supplying Firearms to Drug Cartels” (Border Report, March 5, 2025).

Guns allegedly linked to Dallas native used in assassination attempt of Mexico City police chief, murder of immigration agent, 2 others

• Lawrence Hurley, “Supreme Court Poised to Reject Mexico’s Lawsuit Against U.S. Gun Makers” (NBC News, March 4, 2025).

The case concerns a lawsuit the Mexican government filed against gun companies seeking accountability for the gun violence epidemic

• Nina Totenberg, “Mexico Faces Off With U.S. Gunmakers at the Supreme Court” (NPR, March 4, 2025).

The country claims Smith & Wesson and other gunmakers are turning a blind eye to hundreds of thousands of high-powered weapons made in the U.S that are illegally trafficked into in the hands of Mexican cartels

• Elias Camhaji, Patricia San Juan Flores, “‘What I Need the Most Are Ak-47s’: How the United States Floods Mexico With Weapons” (El Pais (Spain), February 12, 2025).

Under pressure from Trump, the Sheinbaum administration is demanding that the United States combat the firepower of the cartels. Using judicial documents and official reports, EL PAÍS reconstructs the long chain of arms trafficking, which begins in the weapons industry and ends in the streets of Mexico

Nicaragua

Russia delivered helicopters, planes, and anti-aircraft artillery to Nicaragua.

• Julio Montes, “Helicopteros Mi-17, Aviones an-26 y Artilleria Antiaerea Zushka para el Ejercito de Nicaragua” (Defensa.com, February 9, 2025).

Helicópteros Mi-17, aviones AN-26 y artillería antiaérea modernizada Zushka se han entregado a la Fuerza Aérea del Ejército de Nicaragua

Venezuela

“Venezuela is a shell of a state, held up by illicit narcotic and oil money as well as Chinese, Russian, and Iranian support and posing no realistic threat to the United States. No amount of advanced Russian warplanes will change that.”

• Brandon J. Weichert, “Venezuela’s Air Force Is a Disaster. Can Russia Help?” (The National Interest, February 26, 2025).

Venezuela’s economic conditions have repeatedly undercut the ability of its military to maintain the planes in its fleet