7 Best Defense Stocks to Buy Now The Russian invasion of Ukraine has resulted in one of the biggest geopolitical crises in recent memory. The U.S. government pulled its troops out of Afghanistan last year, which led to the belief that defense stocks would be unattractive, at least in the near term. However, defense stocks have proven resilient during the current downturn, with several developed countries increasing their military budgets due to the Russia|Ukraine conflict. For instance, the iShares U.S. Aerospace Defense ETF has dropped by just 3.80% in the past three months, whereas the SP500 has shed over 17% of value. 7 Best Long-Term Dividend Stocks to Buy Right Now According to CNBC’s top stock pundit Jim Cramer , believes that “The Russian invasion of Ukraine is a game-changer for the defense industry, and you’d really have to be clueless not to notice.” The industry is booming, and it’s time for investors to pounce on the current bear market. LMT Lockheed Martin $390.5 RTX Raytheon Technologies $90.32 BAH Booz Allen Hamilton $90.54 NOC Northrop Grumman $449.71 DD DuPont $54.24 GD General Dynamics $209.65 OLN Olin $47.2 Lockheed Martin ( LMT ) Source: Giannis Papanikos | Shutterstock.com Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT ) is an aerospace giant that operates as a pure-play defense contractor.