Saudis to Buy $60B in U.S. Arms
The Wall Street Journal reports:
The Obama administration notified Congress it plans to sell Saudi Arabia up to $60 billion in advanced military aircraft, including F-15s equipped with bunker-buster bombs that Washington sees as part of an effort to contain Iran.
The package, the largest overseas U.S. arms deal to date, "supports our wider regional security goals in the Gulf" without undercutting ally Israel's military edge, Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs Andrew Shapiro said.
"We want to make sure that they have the tools that they need to be able to defend themselves," he said of Saudi Arabia, a key regional ally. The kingdom had no immediate comment.
Some details of the proposed sale have been known for months, but the inclusion of up to 1,000 one-ton bombs known as Joint Direct Attack Munitions, or JDAMs, and other guided bombs in the package, was revealed in notifications to Congress on Wednesday.
The inclusion of these weapons would enhance the capability of Saudi Arabia's air force to bomb hardened bunkers and tunnels, such as those that the West believes are used by Iran to hide nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
The administration said Saudi Arabia would be authorized to buy as many as 84 new F-15 advanced fighters and to upgrade up to 70 existing Saudi F-15s to a more advanced configuration.
Congress could block or amend the sale, but officials said that isn't expected. A small group of lawmakers said they will try to block the deal, arguing it would undercut Israel and support a government with a poor human-rights record.
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