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Germany set a record in 2023 for authorizing its highest-ever volume of arms exports, as reported in figures presented to lawmakers.

Despite previous campaign promises for stricter arms sales controls, the government approved $12.8 billion in defense exports by mid-December, driven partly by the war in Ukraine.

The surge in 2023 was more than double the amount from 2022. Israel also featured prominently among the recipients, with a tenfold increase from the previous year, receiving $353,313,986 in military exports. These authorizations, especially to active conflict zones, have sparked debate over Germany’s self-imposed restrictions on arms sales to war-engaged nations. Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s “Zeitenwende” speech and the coalition’s agreement to limit arms exports to countries with contentious human rights records or involvement in wars have come under scrutiny amidst these substantial export figures.

Despite campaign promises and a ten-page proposal outlining stricter arms export controls, the initiative has largely stalled, overshadowed by Germany’s need to reassess its security stance following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. T