WASHINGTON – The US State Department has approved a possible $500-millionsale of missile system support services to Saudi Arabia in defiance ofglobal calls for Washington to stop providing Riyadh with military supportdue to the regime’s war crimes in Yemen.
The Defense Security Cooperation Agency made the announcement in astatement on Wednesday, saying Congress had been notified of the decision.
Congress now has 30 days to review the proposed sale, but it is notrequired to take any action.
The potential sale follows a request by Saudi Arabia for continuedtechnical assistance for Patriot Legacy Field Surveillance Program (FSP),the Patriot Advanced Capability 3 (PAC-3) and the Patriot EngineeringServices Program (ESP).
The package also includes spare parts and logistical support for Patriotand Hawk missile systems.
Last week, the US Army awarded Sikorsky, a leading American aircraftmanufacturer, a contract worth nearly $200 million to supply 17 Black Hawkhelicopters to Saudi Arabia.
The deals come as the US is under pressure to suspend its arms sales to theSaudi regime, which has been waging a deadly military aggression againstYemen since 2015.
At least 13,600 people have been killed since the start of the war.Yemenis search under the rubble of a house destroyed in a Saudi airstrikein Sana’a on August 25, 2017. (Photo by AFP)
During his first trip to Saudi Arabia last year, President Donald Trumpsigned a $110 billion arms deal with the Saudis, with options to sell up to$350 billion over a decade.
Facilitated by Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner, themassive package includes missiles, bombs, armored personnel carriers,combat ships, terminal high altitude area defense (THAAD) missile systemsand munitions.
The announcement generated backlash in Congress, with Republican SenatorRand Paul promising to work to block at least parts of the package.
The Trump administration is looking to loosen restrictions on American armssales to boost the country’s weapons industry.
The move seeks to ease export rules for military equipment “from fighterjets and drones to warships and artillery,” according to officials familiarwith the plan.