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Thursday, October 21, 2010     INTELLIGENCE BRIEFING

Obama OKs massive weapons deal with Saudis for F-15s and Apache, Black Hawk helicopters

WASHINGTON — After months of delay, President Barack Obama has formally approved plans to sell $60 billion worth of military aircraft and weapons systems to Saudi Arabia.

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In what marked the single largest proposed defense deal in U.S. history, the Defense Department informed Congress of Saudi Arabia's request for fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft as well as advanced missiles and subsystems. Officials said the proposed sale included 85 F-15 fighter-jets as well as the Apache, Black Hawk and Little Bird helicopters.

"This will not exceed $60 billion," Assistant Secretary of State Andrew Shapiro said.


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Congress has 30 days to decide on the Saudi sale, Middle East Newsline reported. Officials said they believed the Democratic-controlled Congress, lobbied heavily by prime contractor Boeing and other defense companies, would not block the deal.

"We feel comfortable that Congress will not be a barrier to the completion of this sale," Shapiro said.

Congressional response to the Saudi deal appeared slight. Congress has been in recess, with most lawmakers fighting for re-election in November.

"I plan to introduce a resolution with my colleagues to block this arms deal," Rep. Anthony Weiner, a New York Democrat, said. "Saudi Arabia has not behaved like an ally of the United States. They have a history of financing terrorism, and it is a nation that teaches hate of Christians and Jews. They should not be rewarded with a weapons upgrade."

In a briefing on Oct. 20 Shapiro, responsible for military affairs at the State Department, said the Saudi deal would mark a process that could last for decades. He said the delivery of fighter-jets as well as missiles, munitions, radars and communications could take up to 20 years.

"Given the defense requirements being pursued by Saudi Arabia, it may choose not to fully fund all four of these programs," Shapiro said. "The final amount of the sale may well be less than the not-to-exceed estimate provided by DSCA [Defense Security Cooperation Agency] as it will ultimately depend on what the Saudi Government decides to purchase and on the outcome of contract negotiations with industry."

The Defense Security Cooperation Agency said Saudi Arabia would receive 84 F-15s with such advanced air-to-air missiles as the AIM-9X Sidewinder and AIM-120C/7. The deal would also include 1,000 Joint Direct Attack Munitions, a kit meant to turn 2,000-pound general purpose bombs into precision air-to-ground weapons.

"Also included are the upgrade of the existing Royal Saudi Air Force fleet of 70 F-15S multi-role fighters to the F-15SA configuration," DSCA said. "The proposed sale of this service will not alter the basic military balance in the region."

DSCA said the F-15 component of the Saudi deal was estimated at $29.4 billion. The agency also announced the sale of 70 AH-64D Apache Longbow as well as 72 Black Hawk helicopters in a separate $30 billion proposal.

"The Saudi Arabian National Guard will use the AH-64D for its national security and protecting its borders and oil infrastructure," the Pentagon agency said. "The proposed sale will provide for the defense of vital installations and will provide close air support for the Saudi military ground forces."

In the State Department briefing, officials acknowledged that the administration was preparing to also approve a Saudi request for U.S. naval platforms. They did not say when the naval package would be relayed to Congress.

Shapiro refused to explain Saudi Arabia's requirement for hundreds of U.S. fighters and helicopters. He denied that Riyad's main threat stemmed from Iran.

"It's not solely about Iran," Shapiro said. "It's about helping the Saudis with their legitimate security needs, and they have a number of legitimate security needs."

Shapiro said the Saudi deal would not harm what he termed Israel's qualitative military. He refused to say whether Israel, which received more than $2.7 billion in annual U.S. military aid in 2010, was provided guarantees.

"Our assessment is that this would not diminish Israel's qualitative military edge, and therefore, we felt comfortable in going forward with the sale," Shapiro said. "I think it's fair to say that based on what we've heard at high levels, Israel does not object to this sale."




Comments


Why are we selling our advanced weapons to people who disagree with just about everything real Americans stand for?

truth teller      5:59 p.m. / Thursday, October 21, 2010

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