There is probably an image of a bleeding-heart progressive dying on a cross that they put themself on at the top of many articles or videos made about why you should support Ukraine, with headlines and themes like, “It’s morally right!" and "look at the cruelty in the war!”

This is not that article.

I'm here to talk about guns and oil and good old American farmers.

With the Russian Invasion of Ukraine, there were following and immutable consequences that came to pass – all of which only served to make America a richer country than it was before the invasion.

It is fair and reasonable to look at the hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars that the government sent to Ukraine unfavorably and ask critically why it isn’t invested domestically. Heck, I know the city of Omaha could use more teachers for her schools. The money, even if sent by politicians in a short-sighted-nature, has returned many monetary, and security dividends for the United States.

Many industries can no longer take pride in saying, “America makes the best this or that,” as much of our country’s production is in places like Mexico or China, but the Ukraine war showed the world that true American-made weapons were uncontested in their value and as such our weapon sales have surged.

As per the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, before the war, the American arms global market share was at thirty-four percent, and in a single year since the start, it jumped up to forty-two percent while Russian exports fell an immense fifty-three percent. Germany’s global market share fell by fourteen percent and China’s arms exports fell by more than five percent.

Of course, there would be losers: participation trophies are un-American. I have no hate for Russia or Germany, but their loss is the USA’s success. 

Such success is, too, the US government’s arms sales to the rest of the world in 2023 reached a record 238 billion dollars, a giant sixteen percent leap from the previous year, as per Reuters reporting. Poland took out a four-billion-dollar loan from the US government to purchase US military equipment – mainly Patriot Missile systems after seeing just how good they were at doing their job in live combat (those systems will need many restocks of ammo, too, which is more money over time to Uncle Sam).

Before a weapon is used for its intended purpose (as an example: a javelin shoulder-launched anti-armor platform designed to kill Russian tanks), the eggheads at some fancy research and weapons development will come up with charts and numbers and graphs with how well they expect the weapon to do. All the while, Russia, China, or France will come up with their version of the system, and then salesmen from each country try to pitch to a potential buyer why their weapon is better than those other ones with charts and data.

Thus this war has been the best possible showcase for how well American weapons perform in the hands of others, and it shows in how many customers the US has gained and other countries have lost. To top it off, many (but, not all) of the monetary value of the weapons sent to Ukraine are older weapons that are no longer used by our troops but are stored for decommission. That means that we, as taxpayers, have to pay each year to make those systems safe to dispose of.

The data is poor, but the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies reports that back in 1990 the US government was paying at least eleven and a half billion dollars a year toward making chemical weapons safe, and that figure doesn't include conventional weapons, and missiles that have to be decommissioned each year.

Weapon sales aren't the only place that America made money, but our oil and natural gas industries have surged in value. The US Energy Information Administration reports that in 2023, US exports reached a staggering four-point-one million barrels of oil per day, which is a thirteen percent increase from the previous year, which itself was also a record high. We've since become the dominant supplier in the Netherlands, shipping eighty-two percent of their oil supply.

American farmers are also greatly profiting from the conflict, as before Russia and Ukraine were American rivals in the global food market, especially in regards to wheat and corn. The Economic Research Institute and Choice Magazine report a sixteen-point-six percent increase in export revenue for our farmers since the start of the conflict. 

The final major American profit from the Ukraine war comes to us in the form of security.

With more countries using American weapons such as the American-made F-35 jet, in a war with China, repairs, re-armaments, and information sharing will be easier and more streamlined. On top of that, a Russia that needs its own weapons will have less to spare if China attacks Taiwan. US intelligence has stated that they have evidence that China’s leader Xi-Xinping has ordered his military to be “capable of attacking and winning a war for Taiwan by 2027." (AP News)

In regard to the value of arms or direct currency that the US government has provided to Ukraine, even if all of those numbers above don't immediately equal two hundred billion in tax-payer money, it is an investment. Any salesperson will tell you that getting people in the door is the hard part – we as a nation have gained more established customers to purchase our exports in weapons, oil, and food that will likely stay as customers for years to come. That money then comes back to the United States and into the pockets of shareholders, weapons factory workers, oil workers, and farmers and also as more taxes paid to the U.S. government.

Likely dear reader, the government getting more money does not mean we will pay less taxes – this I complain about. Hell, all this money that is flowing into the USA and no one bothers to lower our taxes? That should be a crime.

I feel no ill-will for the Russian people. I speak some Russian myself and have come to enjoy preserves in my black tea as well as delicious borscht soup. I wish that no more Russians or Ukrainians have to die for yet another war driven by politicians, but I am but a journalist. Regardless of right or wrong, America’s financial and military position in the global order has only been reinforced since the start of the war.

Austin Petak is an aspiring novelist and freelance journalist who loves seeking stories and the quiet passions of the soul. If you are interested in reaching out to him to cover a story, you may find him at austinpetak@gmail.com.

Opinions expressed by columnists in The Daily Record are not necessarily those of its management or staff, and do not constitute an endorsement or recommendation. Any errors or omissions should be called to our attention so that they may be corrected. Contact us at news@omahadailyrecord.com.