As it convenes with allies to chart a Cold War course, the U.S. is expanding its dominance of the global arms trade.

(Originally published March 13 in “What in the World“) Continued Russian shelling of liberated areas of Ukraine’s Kharkiv province is prompting Ukrainian officials to order the evacuation of civilians there.

Arms exports from the United States rose 14% between 2022 and 2017, boosting its share of global arms exports to 40% from 33%, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, as nations in Europe built up their defenses against China and Russia. While global arms transfers dropped 5% overall, Europe’s imports of arms soared by 47%.

One European nation looking to drive that figure even higher is the United Kingdom. U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced that his government would boost defense spending by roughly $6 billion over the next two years. Sunak made the announcement from San Diego, where he is meeting U.S. President Joe Biden and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to discuss their AUKUS Indo-Pacific defense alliance against China. The summit meeting will doubtless discuss plans to sell nuclear submarines to Australia.

Albanese will arrive in San Diego from another former British colony, India, where he discussed boosting military ties between Australia and India. Both nations are members of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, or Quad, alliance with Japan and the United States.

Not to be forgotten, North Korea test-fired two submarine-launched cruise missiles. The tests came as the U.S. and South Korea prepare to hold their largest joint military exercises since 2017.