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Friday, November 19, 2010     INTELLIGENCE BRIEFING

Report: U.S. systems could help Saudis deter Iran

WASHINGTON — Saudi Arabia's proposed $60 billion military order from the United States could help the Gulf Arab kingdom defeat neighboring Iran, a report said.

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The Center for Strategic and International Studies asserted that advanced U.S. fighter-jets and missiles would ensure that Saudi Arabia could attack Iran. In a report by former Defense Department official Anthony Cordesman, the Gulf Cooperation Council state was said to require the modernization of its Air Force in the face of Iran's ballistic missile and weapons of mass destruction threat.

"Saudi Arabia has not modernized its Air Force at the same rate it has modernized other elements of its force structure, and must now make major investments if it is to preserve a clear edge over Iran, use its air force to compensate for the limits of its ground forces and navy, and create a more effective deterrent to Iran's potential use of chemically armed missiles," the report, titled "Reinforcing a Strategic Partnership in the Gulf," said.


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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."



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