Under the request, Saudi Arabia would receive 84 F-15Es and more than
120 attack and utility helicopters. The kingdom has also requested huge
quantities of the Joint Direct Attack Munition, which converts general
purpose bombs into precision air weapons.
"Saudi Arabia needs more mobility and tactical strike power to deal with
Iran's growing capability to attack targets in the Gulf and along its
coasts, deal with terrorist threats to its population and critical
infrastructure, and rapidly deploy forces to deal with threats like tribal
attacks from Yemen and the growing instability in the Horn of Africa and Red
Sea," the report said.
Cordesman, who has worked with a leading Saudi analyst close to the
royal family, said Riyad would be required to order additional military
systems from the United States. He said this would include advanced missile
defense systems as well as naval platforms.
The report said JDAM and other U.S. air-to-ground missiles would allow
Saudi Arabia to retaliate against any Iranian attack. The air-to-air missiles
would enable the Royal Saudi Air Force to operate with the United States in
any attack on Iran.
"This level of interoperability is critical in any major contingency,
and the lack of it presented serious problems in U.S. coordination with some
other NATO air forces that joined the coalition in 1991," the report said.
The Saudi purchase of American missiles and support would also enable
the U.S. military to deploy and operate in the kingdom, the report
said. Cordesman said this would grant the U.S. military a rapid reaction
capability throughout the Gulf. In 2003, the Saudis evicted U.S. combat
forces
but retained a growing training and support presence.
"It will be a major asset in reshaping the U.S. posture in the Gulf as
the U.S. withdraws from Iraq," the report said. "It will scarcely eliminate
the need for forward U.S. deployments in countries like Bahrain, Kuwait, and
Qatar, but it will reduce it. Moreover, the U.S. does not need to deploy
forces in Saudi Arabia for such purchases to quietly send a signal to Iran
that U.S. forces might be deployed in the event of any serious threat to
Iraq."