Due to the standardization provided by NATO, much of the money spent by European countries has gone to American companies. It is hard to determine whether the

Due to the standardization provided by NATO, much of the money spent by European countries has gone to American companies. It is hard to determine whether the European countries have gained more by spending less on defense than they have lost by buying more American weapons. At least for the newer members of NATO it is pretty certain that their admission has brought great profits for USA, because in most cases it has been conditioned by the requirement to fund expensive contracts with US companies, e.g. for military aircraft.