The predominance of Soviet equipment among the armed forces of the Warsaw Pact was usually viewed in these terms. These concessions include basing rights for forwardly deployed units, the establishment of logistic depots and intelligence collection facilities, and accords governing aircraft overflight, ship transit, refueling, provisioning, and maintenance. In fact, lack of other tools of influence is commonly cited as the reason the Soviets predominantly relied on the export of military hardware to achieve their security objectives abroad. Supplier objectives can range from merely diverting adversary resources, to seriously weakening him in a proxy war of attrition. U.S. aid to the Mujahideen guerrillas in Afghanistan fits into this category.
States also transfer arms to influence the recipient's policies.
Efforts to acquire leverage over another state through the supply of military equipment have met with mixed results. In fact, complex, symbiotic relationships frequently develop between arms producers and their clients, with recipients often gaining reverse leverage power. Finally, nations sell weapons for economic benefit. Arms sales can represent major sources of foreign exchange, contribute to favorable trade balances, and boost domestic employment. All of these factors were expressed in various ways, for instance, by advocates of the 1992 Bush Administration decision to sell the F-16 fighter aircraft to Taiwan.