The United States has approved a $15bn deal to supply Saudi Arabia with the THAAD missile defence system, one of the most capable systems of its kind in the world.
If Congress does not raise an objection within 30 days, the deal will result in a massive windfall for Lockheed Martin, the world's biggest arms producer.
The company and others like it internationally draw tens of billions of dollars in weapons sales to their own governments and foreign states. As well as making profits from war and military expenditures, arms manufacturers employ hundreds of thousands of people worldwide and form an important part of local economies.
According to the Campaign Against Arms Trade, a UK-based advocacy group: "The arms business has a devastating impact on human rights and security and damages economic development. Large-scale military procurement and arms exports only reinforce a militaristic approach to international problems."
