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On December 1st, the US State Department approved a possible $350 million deal to continue providing security support services to Saudi Arabia.
According to the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has asked that U.S. Security Assistance Office continue to provide support services for five more years.
The State Department gave the green light for a five-year extension of the programme which includes salaries for “U.S. Military, U.S. Government, and Foreign National staff members”.
It also covers administrative costs, logistical support, and taxes, as well as “future transition costs to move USMTM” to a new location in the kingdom.
US Central Command, on its website, describes the mission as a “unique security assistance (SA) and security cooperation (SC) organization under the authority of the chief of the U.S. diplomatic mission”.
Its aim is to “train, advise and assist” Saudi Arabia’s military, one of the best-funded in the world and a significant buyer of US arms.
“Our mission is to enhance U.S. national security through building the capability and capacity of the Saudi Arabian Armed Forces (SAAF) to defend our common interests in the Middle East region,” it adds.
“This proposed sale will continue to improve Saudi Arabia’s capability to meet current and future threats by utilizing USMTM’s continued efforts to train, advise, and assist the Saudi Arabian Armed Forces to build defense capacity and capability through military exercises and professional military education. USMTM conducts non-combat, institutional advising that assists the MOD in developing, training, and sustaining a capable deterrent to regional threats,” the DSCA said.
Implementation of the proposed sale will continue to require the permanent assignment of approximately 330 U.S. Military, U.S. Government, and Foreign National USMTM staff members to Saudi Arabia.
Additional Training Advisory Field Teams (TAFT) and Support teams will travel to the country on a temporary basis as required.
Also, the sale will not be so significant as to alter the military balance in the region, meaning that Saudi Arabia will still likely continue losing the fight against Yemen’s Houthi.
“The proposed sale of this support and services will not alter the basic military balance in the region.
There is no prime contractor associated with this proposed sale. There are no known offset agreements in connection with this potential sale.”
This is not final, as it must pass a vote:
“This notice of a potential sale is required by law. The description and dollar value is for the highest estimated quantity and dollar value based on initial requirements. Actual dollar value will be lower depending on final requirements, budget authority, and signed sales agreement(s), if and when concluded.”
In February 2016 the State Department approved a $200 million deal for military technical support services to Saudi Arabia.
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If it was some competent country, they would have captured the entire middle east with the amount of weaponry USA has given to saudi lol
Dont you get it? You cant buy success, its not about money. Its how you use what you got. Edit: usa SOLD stuff to saudi, not give. The service after you buy sucks!
Correction,SOLD to Saudi,its all about the $$$$$$$$$$$$
Saudis are starting to lack parking space in the desert for all that Western crap weapons. Solution: Send them to Yemen to be burnt ! Ansar Allah will EAT YOU ALIVEyou filthy ZIONIST C U N T S !!!
When Saudi oil terminates in less than 50 years the Desert will have sink holes like the Dead Sea in Israel.
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That’s for training Saudi soldiers to use the new weapons they will buy at a bargaining 35B.
“Flying brick” flop F-35B (B=BRICK) is dangerous only if it falls inadvertently onto ones head.
35B =35 Billion.
35B =35 Billion not corrected deficiencies and design mistakes.
Still obsessing with that airplane?
Dead wrong!!! I am exalted with that plane ! That plane is ticket for Russian-Chinese dominance over the global sky once 4-th generation jets are phased out NATO will depend only on that PEACE OF FLYING S*IT ! So buy them as many as you can you Western IDI*TS !
Short of nuclear weapons yet, the US and west has sold the Saudis the most modern weaponry from F-15 to Abrams and battlefield results have been appalling. F-35 will not make any difference, if they are sold.
I didn’t say anything about F-35, I’m not even a fan of this plane, why everyone comments about it?
Parasites Saudi Arabia rent armies.
This is a desperate attempt by Saudi Arabia’s foreign masters as they are faltering in the six year onslaught on Yemen aided by thousands of US and NATO advisers and mercenaries. The Houthis have defeated the best western weaponry money can buy and have expanded the areas under their control. It also shows the power of sandals and khat. Saudis have a bigger defence budget than Russia and India in real terms and nothing to show for. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/69c1bade672a4228b98b510dfd211edb0def27291f41f4537ca59abf66869fef.jpg
don’t forget the advisers from israel, the main support and in fact of little use. they advise whereas the morons in washington and the dullards in westminster mostly provide sophisticated bombs and missiles to be used when attacking weddings and funerals of all them civilians killed by the saudi jets flown by american and english and dutch pilots on salaries.
US and NATO have been providing refueling, targeting and satellite intel to the Saudis and now there are confirmed reports that Israeli pilots with western passports are flying the bombing missions as agreed in the recent summit with Nethanyahu, Pompeo and MBS.
am I surprised (about israelis flying saudi jets) – nah not a bit – guess netanyahu foots the bill and then the washington dc morons pay netanyahu as part of the yearly dowry.
Milking SA. “Peanuts” according to Donald.
KSA has no armed forces only contractors.
If they did it’s for sure that Army would end the Monarchy.
UK has committed another 5,000 troops and “advisers” to prop up the Saudis as it is getting difficult to recruit African mercenaries as oil revenues hit rock bottom and the budget is in deficit.
A No-deal Brexit will put UK in a difficult position economically, big changes are in the pipeline, Morrison is wanting death duties back, interest rates can never go up because of the National Debt, bank’s have to go digital, China will likely use it’s capacities to hold resource, and primary products values down, apart from that (China and the West having mutual interests) this means African Nations will be in an excellent position to rise above their traditional status, probably they will because of internet communications, all we can do is keep trying to turn them against Israel.
Saudi Arabian defence budget is the size of India’s but it obviously has not bought them any security and as Donald Trump said, “the Saudis could not fight their way out of a paper bag”. What a bunch of idiots.
Those Bitches and better watch out the Houthis don’t settle for the Saudis ending the attack on Yemen,they might decide to take Saudi Arabia down,now that would be a laugh.
AMERICAN PEOPLE ARE DENIED FOOD, HOUSING,EMPLOYMENT BUT, HEY, LET’S SUPPORT THE POOR sAUDIS?