Arms sales continue to grow among the world’s top weapons manufacturers despite the shrunken global economy in 2020, with U.S. companies ranking first and Chinese second. On Dec. 6, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) released the latest ranking of the world’s top 100 arms-producing and military services companies in terms of total arms sales. In 2020, total arms sales worldwide reached $554.6 billion, an increase of 2.5 percent from 2019. U.S. arms companies remain the greatest in number on the world ranking list, holding 41 of the top 100 spots. The total arms sales of U.S. companies in 2020 amounted to $285 billion, accounting for 54 percent of the total sales worldwide, an increase of 1.9 percent from the previous year. Since 2019, U.S. companies have held the top five spots on the list. Amid increased military threats from China and Russia, the United States has been increasing …