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Monday, May 21, 2007

Democrats will be known for Iraq surrender; Time now for homeland defense

5-21 U.S. MAINTAINS MILITARY IN SAUDI WASHINGTON — Despite strained relations, the United States maintains a military presence in Saudi Arabia. Former Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman Sen. Chuck Hagel said the U.S. military maintains 300 trainers in Saudi Arabia. Hagel, the ranking Republican on the committee, told the Council on Foreign Relations that the U.S. trainers were working with the Saudi military and police. "Saudi Arabia today, we have about 300, where we are using our trainers, working with their police, working with some of their security people," Hagel told the Council on Foreign Relations on May 8.

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This was the first time a senior U.S. representative provided figures on the American military presence in the Middle East. Hagel said he was not providing classified figures. In 2003, the United States withdrew the air operations center of Central Command from Saudi Arabia. But Central Command left an estimated 100 officers to continue training Saudi forces. The U.S. military presence in Saudi Arabia has increased significantly over the past 18 months amid projects to modernize the Saudi Arabian National Guard and army. In 2006, Riyad requested about $10 billion worth of platforms and upgrades from the United States and has been negotiating another deal worth between $5 and $10 billion. Hagel said the U.S. military has deployed 40 U.S. military personnel for training exercises in Egypt. The United States has been organizing the biannual Bright Star exercise, scheduled for the fall of 2007. In the Sinai Peninsula, the U.S. military maintains a significant presence in the Multinational Force and Observers, deployed since 1982. The United States has supplied more than 700 troops. Jordan contains 50 U.S. military trainers, Hagel said. The senator said the United States has sought to maintain current military levels in the Middle East. "Of course we have interests in the Middle East," Hagel said. "But I also never believed that those who say, 'Well, we're going to have a significant military force presence in the Middle East for years to come.' I don't believe that will be the case." Hagel said the U.S. military maintains a presence in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. The senator said the Gulf Cooperation Council states would continue to host a small U.S. presence. "But the so-called continental Middle East, the large countries of the Middle East, I don't believe the Muslim populations will ever allow their leaders to encamp large contingents of American or Western military forces on their land," Hagel said. "And I have some ambassadors here and generals here who served many years in the Middle East, and they may have a whole different view of this," Hagel added. "But I, for example, spoke in some detail with three rather significant Middle East ambassadors to the United States last week, and I asked them about this. And that's what they told me. That will not happen."

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