"WAR" is business

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U.S. to Sell F-15s to Saudis

In this photo taken Jan. 25, 2009, F-15 warplanes of the Saudi Air Force fly over Riyadh
during a graduation ceremony at King Faisal Air Force University.

The Obama administration plans to sell advanced F-15 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia but won't equip them with long-range weapons systems and other arms whose inclusion was strongly opposed by Israel, diplomats and officials said.

The proposed $30 billion, 10-year arms package, which would be one of the biggest single deals of its kind, has been a source of behind-the-scenes tension during months of negotiations. Israeli officials have repeatedly conveyed their concerns in private that the U.S. risks undermining its military advantage by equipping regional rivals with top-flight technologies.

U.S. officials say they provided "clarifications" in recent weeks about the deal to help damp Israel's qualms. Two officials close to the negotiations said Israel still had some reservations, but that the country isn't expected to challenge the sale by lobbying Congress, which can hold up the deal or push for assurances of its own. The administration is expected to formally notify Congress of its plans as early as next month.

The information-sharing with Israel is part of a longstanding commitment by successive U.S. administrations to maintain its military edge in the region. Congress has the power to block any weapons sales deemed detrimental to Israel's military advantage.

The tussle is a window into the White House's delicate balancing act in the Middle East. The administration has championed advanced weapons sales to Gulf states as a way to check Iranian power. In addition to Saudi Arabia, the U.S. has moved to sell arms to the United Arab Emirates and other Gulf states, as well as support on a smaller scale the Lebanese army and Palestinian security forces in the West Bank.

Iran is far from the only security challenge facing Saudi Arabia, which has considerably beefed up its standing army since Iraq's invasion of Kuwait, when the ruling Saud family began to see potential border troubles as a more serious threat.

Earlier this year, Saudi armed forces sustained heavy losses during extended skirmishes with Yemeni rebels on the southern border, the kind of flare-up a new crop of fighter jets would seemingly be ideal to fight.

But the scope and size of the Saudi deal has unnerved Israel and its allies in Congress at a time when U.S.-Israeli relations are particularly unsteady.

Under the proposed sale, the 84 Boeing Co. F-15s for Saudi Arabia will have onboard targeting systems similar to those offered to other foreign governments, officials say. They aren't as technologically advanced as F-15s flown by the U.S. military.

More critically for Israel, an official in the region said, was the Obama administration's decision to not offer Saudi Arabia certain weapons components. Top among them: so-called standoff systems, which are advanced long-range weapons that can be attached to F-15s for use in offensive operations against land- and sea-based targets.

Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell declined to comment on the details of the negotiations, but said: "We have been working very closely with the Israeli government at the highest levels to address their concerns on this and other issues."

He added: "Israel is not the only one with security concerns in the region and we have responsibilities to other allies as well."

The Saudi Embassy in Washington said it had no comment on any arms sales. The Israeli Embassy in Washington declined to comment on any assurances Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak may have received. An Israeli official described the talks in the U.S. on the Saudi package as "constructive."

It isn't uncommon for the U.S. to sell top-end equipment with less-advanced weapons systems and armor. In previous deals, the Saudis provided special assurances to the U.S. that they wouldn't base F-15s near the Israeli border, but those restrictions have lapsed.

"We have to plan for shifting sands," a senior Israeli official said, pointing to the 1979 Iranian revolution and gains by Islamists in Turkey and Lebanon as justification for being wary of a heavily armed Saudi military.

After a round of talks in Washington late last month between Mr. Barak and top U.S. officials, including Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Israeli officials said they felt more comfortable about how the F-15s would be equipped.

The U.S. argued to Mr. Barak that the proposed sale would strengthen moderates in the Gulf, ultimately bolstering Israel's security.

U.S. officials say the F-15s in the package will be "very capable" aircraft, comparable to the F-15s flown by South Korea and Singapore, which are among Asia's most advanced militaries, said a senior U.S. defense official.

Officials also were adamant the U.S. didn't make changes to appease Israel. "It's not that [Defense Minister] Barak swoops into town, we suddenly make a bunch of concessions that the Israelis never knew about before, and they're assuaged," the official said. "There were no refinements, no changes." The official said Israeli anxiety
diminished "the more they've understood what the configuration looks like."

Nonetheless, the initial push-back from Israel frustrated some U.S. officials at a time when President Barack Obama has sought to smooth differences with Israel's government over Jewish settlement building and stalled peacemaking with the Palestinians.

The concept of large-scale arms sales for Arab allies was spearheaded by the George W. Bush administration as a bulwark against Iranian expansionism, and the Obama administration has expanded the effort. The Saudi deal has grown in size and scope, and it is also expected to include dozens of UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters made by United Technologies Corp.'s Sikorsky Aircraft unit.

Washington coupled its message about the Saudi configuration with a prod for Israel to commit to buying the planned F-35, also known as the Joint Strike Fighter, which Lockheed Martin Corp. says it could start delivering as early as 2015, around the same time the Saudis would begin to get new F-15s. The Joint Strike Fighter is a far more sophisticated plane than the F-15.

Saudi officials view the country's military relationship with the U.S. as important as oil in bilateral relations. Saudis have been among the top purchasers of U.S.-made arms for much of the past two decades. Because of this, Saudi officials privately chafe about the leverage Israel has had over its weapons purchases from U.S. suppliers, from its purchases of its first AWACs planes in the 1980s to the F-15 fighter-jet purchases in the early 1990s.

As a way to counter Israeli pressure against such purchases, the Saudis in recent years have broadened their acquisitions to include more European- and Russian-made weaponry. That thinking was partially behind the 2007 deal to purchase dozens of Eurofighter fighter planes from BAE Systems PLC, Saudi officials said.

Mark Heller, an analyst at the Institute for National Security Studies in Israel, affiliated with Tel Aviv University, said U.S. assurances are "partially reassuring as long as the regimes controlling those weapons are interested in maintaining good relations with the United States." But occasionally, "you get a fly in the ointment," he said.

Flush with oil cash, Saudi Arabia has become a top weapons buyer. It spent a $36.7 billion world-wide on arms between 2001 and 2008, according to a Congressional Research Service report.

The Wall Street Journal

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US to sell $900M in Patriot missiles to Kuwait to blunt potential attack from Iran
By: Anne Flaherty

WASHINGTON - The United States is planning to sell more than 200 Patriot missiles worth some $900 million to Kuwait as part of its longterm effort to build up anti-missile systems in the Gulf.

The initiative is aimed at defending Gulf allies against potential Iranian missile strikes and to signal to Tehran that any aggression would not go unanswered.

The Defence Security Cooperation Agency announced on Wednesday that it had notified Congress of the proposed sale. Congress could object but is not expected to do so.

Kuwait has long been identified as one of several Gulf states already with Patriot missiles. U.S. officials say Patriot batteries also have been stationed in Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.

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File photo: F-35 fighter

Israel to purchase F-35I fighter jets from US

Israel's defense minister has given the go-ahead to a $4 billion purchase of advanced American F-35I fighter jets.

Ehud Barak's office says Barak approved the purchase of the stealth fighters along with spare parts and services.

Military officials said Israel would purchase around 20 of the Lockheed Martin jets. The F-35I is also known as the Joint Strike Fighter.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because details of the deal were not made public.

Israel's government is expected to approve the deal soon. The purchase will be funded by U.S. military aid to Israel.

The F-35I can avoid enemy radar systems. Analysts suggest that could help Israel strike Iran's nuclear facilities.

In a statement Sunday, Barak said the plane will allow Israel to maintain its "aerial supremacy."

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Iran says it's prepared sell weapons to Lebanon if Beirut asks for military assistance
By: The Associated Press

TEHRAN, Iran - Iran is prepared to sell weapons to Lebanon if Beirut asks for help in equipping its military, Iran's defence minister said Wednesday.

Gen. Ahmad Vahidi's comments come a day after the leader of Lebanon's Shiite Hezbollah group, Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, called on the Lebanese government to formally seek military assistance from Iran.

"Lebanon is our friend," Vahidi was quoted as saying by the official IRNA news agency. "If there is a demand in this respect, we are ready to help that country and conduct weapons transactions with it."

In a televised speech on Tuesday, Nasrallah vowed that his Iranian-backed group could help secure the aid for Lebanon's poorly equipped army.

The Hezbollah leader made his suggestion after a U.S. congressman suspended $100 million of American military aid to Lebanon earlier this month over concerns the weapons could be used against Israel and that Hezbollah may have influence over the Lebanese army.

Lebanon's government has since opened an account at the central bank to receive donations to help it purchase weapons for the military.

But Beirut is not entirely dependent on U.S. military assistance, and has turned to other countries, including Russia and Arab nations, for assistance in the past.

Iran is a key supporter of Hezbollah, believed to funnel it weapons and millions of dollars in funding, though Tehran denies arming the Shiite group. Hezbollah, also closely allied to Syria, boasts a heavy arsenal of rockets capable of reaching deep inside Israel.

In Washington, State Department spokesman Mark Toner told reporters the possibility of Iranian arms sales to Lebanon's army underscore "the importance both to our national security and the security of the region to continue with our security assistance to the Lebanese army."

Both the George W. Bush and Obama administrations have backed sending military aid to Lebanon, maintaining that a professional military is critical for the government to exert its sovereign authority, which has been challenged by armed Hezbollah militants.

Asked what the status is of the review of U.S. aid to Lebanon demanded by some in Congress, Toner said: "We're reviewing the program that's under way, and we hope to conclude that soon and renew assistance."

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Ka-32

Russian Helicopters company will supply four Kamov Ka-32 helicopters to Azerbaijan in the near future, the Azerbaijani APA news agency said on Monday.

It is not known which of the country's state departments or institutions ordered the helicopters, the report said.

In May, the Azerbaijan Emergencies Ministry bought two Ka-32 helicopters from Russia.

The Ka-32 is a 12-ton coaxial twin-rotor helicopter that can carry a payload of up to four tons.

It is commonly used in utility cargo work and fire-fighting, has an endurance of about four hours and cruises at 205 kilometers per hour.

RIA Novosti

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Obama to Overhaul Export Controls

U.S. President Barack Obama last week unveiled plans to dramatically alter the federal government's system for controlling sensitive exports, in part by consolidating listings of regulated materials and creating a new office for carrying out certain enforcement work, the Washington Post reported.

The planned changes, issued following a one-year study by the Defense, State and Commerce departments, would affect the nation's aging framework for limiting sales of strategic missiles, nuclear submarine components and other military hardware.

The State and Commerce departments were working to assign controlled goods to one of three
"tiers" determined by their military value (Howard Schneider, Washington Post, Aug. 31).

The top tier would be reserved for items "that provide a critical military or intelligence advantage to the United States and are available almost exclusively from the United States, or items that are a weapon of mass destruction," the White House said in a statement.

"Items in the middle tier are those that provide a substantial military or intelligence advantage to the United States and are available almost exclusively from our multilateral partners and allies" the release states. "Items in the lowest tier are those that provide a significant military or intelligence advantage but are available more broadly."

An export license "will generally be required for items in the highest tier to all destinations," the statement adds. "Many of the items in the second tier will be authorized for export to multilateral partners and allies under license exemptions or general authorizations. For less sensitive items, a license will not be required more broadly."

"For items authorized to be exported without licenses, there will be new controls imposed on the re-export of those items to prevent their diversion to unauthorized destinations," says the release. "At the same time, the U.S. government will continue our sanctions programs directed toward specific countries, such as Iran and Cuba (White House release, Aug. 30).

In addition, the reforms would aim to clearly divide responsibilities for enforcing export regulations. Various U.S. agencies have developed "very different control lists, with agencies fighting over who has jurisdiction," Obama said in prepared remarks. "Decisions were delayed, sometimes for years, and industries lost their edge or moved abroad."

The new system would be intended "to build higher walls around the export of our most sensitive items while allowing the export of less critical ones under less restrictive conditions," he said (Schneider, Washington Post).

Obama is expected to order the establishment of an “Export Enforcement Coordination Center” aimed at bolstering enforcement and interagency cooperation, Bloomberg reported.

Creation of the unified licensing office and certain other proposed actions would require legislative backing, according to administration officials (Bloomberg, Aug. 30).

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Japan Considers Buying U.S. Spy Aircraft

Japan is considering purchasing U.S.-manufactured spy aircraft as a response to China's military buildup and North Korea's ballistic missile and nuclear activities, Kyodo News reported today.

The Japanese Defense Ministry wants to include acquisition of three Global Hawk drone aircraft -- valued at $50 million each -- into the Midterm Defense Program for fiscal 2011-2015. The spending program is to be drawn from a broader National Defense Program Outline that Tokyo is expected to approve at year's end.

Ministry sources speculated that building the ground infrastructure to support the long-range, high-altitude aircraft would millions of additional dollars.

The Defense Ministry is studying whether the Global Hawk drones could be used in missile defense efforts, sources said (Kyodo News/Japan Times, Oct. 4).