The Pentagon’s defense agency warned Congress on Tuesday of plans for a $ 290 billion arms sale to Saudi Arabia, which would include 3,000 precision munitions.
Why it matters: The State Department’s approval of the potential deal in the last few weeks of the Trump administration comes despite the election of President Joe Biden during his election campaign to end arms sales to the Saudis.
Details: Saudi Arabia has requested to buy GBU-39 SDB I ammunition, spare parts, US government and contractor engineering, weapons support, support equipment and other items and services, the Pentagon said in a statement. Boeing would be the main contractor.
- “The proposed sale will enhance Saudi Arabia’s ability to address current and future threats by increasing its stockpile of long-precision air-to-ground ammunition,” the statement said.
- “The size and accuracy of the SDB I allow for effective ammunition with less collateral damage. The potential sale will further strengthen the interoperability between the United States and Saudi Arabia.”
Remarkable: The Trump administration’s sale to Saudi Arabia in 2019 has caused dual anger among lawmakers.
- The State Department inspector general found last August that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had acted lawfully when he bypassed Congress to approve the $ 8 billion arms deal, but he could not fully assess risks and introduce mitigation measures to reduce civilian casualties’ that were the result of the agreement. .
- Biden’s transition team declined to comment on the Pentagon’s latest announcement, saying it “would not be appropriate to do so during the transition period.”