i would wager that what's not being mentioned here in terms of potential arms sales are medium range and short range artillery - tactical battlefield missiles, American katyushas (called the MLRS here) - and longer range fighter - bombers like the updated F15s being sold to the Israelis and South Koreans. in short, this is going to represent a remarkable militarization of the region, above and beyond anything we've seen before.
not surprised at all, really. the occupation of Iraq has so de- stablized the region, every neighboring government was bound to rearm in unprecedented ways to help themselves stay afloat. both the americans and the europeans have been poised to capitalize on this for a while now.
On May 19, 2006, at 8:56 AM, uvj at vsnl.com wrote:
> Reuters.com
>
> US looks to arm Iran's neighbors, general says
> http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?
> type=newsOne&storyID=2006-05-18T205040Z_01_N18290112_RTRUKOC_0_US-
> ARMS-USA-IRAN.xml
>
> Thu May 18, 2006 4
>
> By Jim Wolf
>
> WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Iran's neighbors -- including Saudi Arabia,
> Kuwait
> and the United Arab Emirates -- are talking to the United States
> about ways
> to bolster their defenses, the general in charge of U.S. arms sales
> said on
> Thursday.
>
> Iran, which has defied United Nations demands to suspend enrichment of
> uranium that could be used to build bombs, has "awakened some major
> concerns" among all its neighbors, Air Force Lt. Gen. Jeffrey
> Kohler said in
> a Reuters interview.
>
> "We're in discussion with their services and their leaders to see what
> capabilities are required and how the United States can best
> fulfill those
> needs," said Kohler, who heads the Pentagon's Defense Security
> Cooperation
> Agency, which handles U.S. government-to-government arms sales.
>
> Potentially at stake are billions of dollars in U.S.-built missile
> defense
> systems, ships to protect off-shore oil rigs and shipping lanes and
> the
> technology that would let Iran's neighbors share a digitally
> networked view
> of the Gulf.
>
> Kohler's organization oversaw $10.6 billion in U.S. government arms
> sales
> last year and is on track to approve about $13 billion this year,
> he said.
> "Our job is not to rack up sales," Kohler added. "Our job is to
> help people
> get the capabilities they need."
>
> Asked which Middle East countries were involved in talks sparked by
> Iran
> concerns, he said: "Let's just say everybody that is not Iran."
>
> Pressed on whether this included Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the
> United Arab
> Emirates, he said, "All of them."
>
> Kohler said he expected competition from France and possibly
> others for Middle East arms sales.
>
> However, whether the perceived threat has "been Iraq in the past or
> Iran in
> the future, I think most of the countries realize that a
> partnership with
> the U.S. is critical."
>
> A key U.S. goal, Kohler added, was to enable partners to operate
> smoothly
> with U.S. forces.
>
> Iran says its nuclear program is for energy production, not
> military use.
> Weapons sales to Middle East states, particularly those in the
> Gulf, have
> slowed since the early 1990s because large orders placed at the
> time are
> still being integrated into those countries' militaries, said Richard
> Grimmett, who tracks such deals for the nonpartisan Congressional
> Research
> Service.
>
> Big arms purchases take years to complete. Potential beneficiaries
> of any
> fresh Middle East military spending wave include the top U.S.
> contractors --
> Lockheed Martin Corp., Boeing Co., Northrop Grumman Corp., General
> Dynamics
> Corp. and Raytheon Co..
>
> © Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.
>
>
>
>
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