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In some of its last actions before being replaced by the Joe Biden administration, the Trump Administration announced that it had approved an upwards of $23 billion weapons sale to the United Arab Emirates.
According to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, the sale includes various advanced weapon systems, including F-35 fighter jets, and armed drones.
The formal notification to the US Congress followed a US-brokered agreement in September in which the UAE agreed to normalize relations with Israel, becoming the first of three Arab states to make such a move in recent months.
“This is in recognition of our deepening relationship and the UAE’s need for advanced defense capabilities to deter and defend itself against heightened threats from Iran,” Pompeo said in a statement.
The $23.37bn package includes up to 50 F-35 Lightning II aircraft, up to 18 MQ-9B Unmanned Aerial Systems and a package of air-to-air and air-to-ground munitions, the State Department said.
The US Senate Foreign Relations and House of Representatives Foreign Affairs committees have repeatedly criticized UAE’s role in civilian deaths in Yemen’s civil war. The Committee reviews major weapons sales before the State Department sends its formal notification to the legislative branch.
Senator Chris Murphy, a Democrat, criticized the arms sale to the UAE, saying it would constrain the options of President-elect Joe Biden who has signaled he will return the US to the Iran nuclear agreement.
This is a massive arms deal that is completely inappropriate for a lame duck Administration. It's a transparent attempt to narrow options in the Middle East for President-elect Biden when he takes office. https://t.co/w6TFUodFBv
— Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) November 10, 2020
Any deal the United States makes to sell weapons in the Middle East must satisfy decades of agreement with Israel that the US-made equipment must not impair Israel’s “qualitative military edge”, guaranteeing US weapons furnished to Israel are “superior in capability” to those sold to its neighbors.
Regardless, the incoming Democratic administration is unlikely to complete this sale, if they actually follow through on all of their claims and vows.
Israel initially strongly opposed the prospective sale of F-35 warplanes, valued at $10.4 billion. However, it received some sort of guarantee that it would have the military superiority in the region from the US, and rescinded its opposition.
Biden advisors have expressed concern but boosting UAE defensive capabilities comes amid calls for D.C. to reduce its footprint & as other regional players augment their own military capabilities, including most notably (& from a UAE threat perception perspective) Iran & Turkey
— Ranj Alaaldin (@RanjAlaaldin) November 10, 2020
The weapon sale is not finalized, and there is no guarantee for it to move forward, but this is a last-ditch bid to carry out some deals in support of its allies, and it is clearly a part of some agreement with the UAE in return for normalization with Israel, as it is unknown (and unlikely) that the Biden administration would be as supportive of Israel and liberal with weapon sales.
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UAE would potentially fill the power vacuum if US is to leave the region. Sure UAE by far not the best country in terms of relations with others, on the other hand there is not much to choose from.
Yes. The main reaon is people has to learn ro defend themselves better.
Ots the same demand for Europe. It makes sense. We do have money, so why should USA pay that much.
Its a chicken egg thing. US pays because EU is not. EU is not paying because US is paying:))
As I dane I cannot see they should pay for us, when we are almost as wealthe as them and many of us also seemes better organized.
EU and Nato is not same thing at all.
Maybee You see this :)
The other day made fried eggs with chicken breast for breakfast. Called it “Genocide a la chicken”.
On F35 alone US will make quiet substantial revenue. On other non military industries as well US companies get good deals just because of mere power. So its not really about wealth (ability to pay) but more for opportunities deriving from it.
Hard to doubt the north European countries ability to build a self sustainable military, specially if Scandinavian countries put their R&D potential together. But as you would know better than me, Scandinavian countries are as similar with each other as different their interests are. Differences even grow if to compare with other countries. Which is quiet comfortable for US or other regional significant player to exploit.
The problem as I see it is not the quantity but in the percent if the gdp of minimum 2%. If I’d pe Russia I’d infiltrate NATO countries with people that say Europeans don’t need army at all. And that’s what Western communists repeated in universities during the cold war, while USSR was buying hundreds of thousands of their books.
Ehm I don’t know what other countries in the EU are doing, but my country has a joke army, whose only job is to fish illegal immigrants at sea.
All European armies are jokes
You dont know that. Many are smaller then they pretend, but You also has to see, what they might be up against.
Some are equipped with the top notch tech. Maybe I exagerated a bit but if USA wouldn’t make pressing some would go without any military like Liechtenstein.
Many should be happy for what we are, and You still forget, we are more then You think.
We for many years made us not attacking each other as well as it goes. I think it might be a laerning from making both WW1 nd WW2.
Part of the forces therefore are saved away, because we only has to defend the perimeter. ´
Many should be happy form we are not as big as we was and bacause they are not Our colonies too.
Actually Im not alone in Our military forces should be improved some, but its true I am i a about 30 to 70 minority.
Being with USA has more then 2 sides. So I like we are not like Lictenstein.
And we do make updatings for Nato. The newest plan for Denmark is we are making an indeopendent Brigade, which says 4.000 soldiers all included in theory can be send to anywhere in the world relative fast.
We also again has Our own defenceline mainly visible with Leopolds and artillery – In Demark. Its almost ready. For years it has been the plan to join the German defence line and make their northern front much stronger.
………………………………
I allowed me to look up and has written Swiss defend them:) Maybee some will attack Lictenstein if they have the last snow in Europe.
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I agree with most of you say except we should not congratulate ourselves for not attacking eachother, more than we congratulate the nukes, the real MVP :)
Thats expected and has been done all the way back in time, so You keep it down as well as You are spyes at the enemies and even the friends too.
And Yes the peacemovements was a great succes but it was the other way too. If people are seeing enemies all over, it also makes internal insecurity and less freedom and less responsibility.
USSR were given less highly manipulated excuse for attcking us and by that also has less need for more weapons, which they also could not effort.
In that maniac way they maybee collapsed later, then they should :)
Haha I feel a little upside down today.
I know You wrote about France and Nato and I mainly wrie about Eisenhower and North Africa, but ther was one more thing.
When the Americans too their part of North Africa they would give the Jews there rights back, but they didnt dare it, bacause the rsij was local araps there would uprise against them….
That before Israel.
Uk was against Israeli state, being afraid they would upset all the arab collonies, ofcourse. As for the disarming process and peace movements, it can spiral in defetism like we are so peaceful that we can’t do anything anyway so let’s give up :)
It was meant as a brittish colony with an european touch. Thats well descriebed.
I have given up most of any oppinions about that little dot of the Islamic world. Even before I was born I and my gamily by UN has contributed to the refugee camps waiting for they made some kind of agreement for some kind of co-existense.
Now I dont care. But why pay to people which always will be enemies and dont respect, what we think. We finance them being the biggest contributers decide by GDP and how many refugees, we already has.
We have palestinians here. Almost all er in the not integratablepart of my 50% NO GOOD. Most man has no jobs. Most women says they are not used to work in their culture, så the men should support them . and they do by we pay all for them. And the women, which want to help their very poor families even reduced to motivate them to work – are forbidden by threats.
They have overcrime too. Denmark will never take a single one from there not even as a baby with no parents and family.
..USA at least pay for USA.
I cannot fokus on all those mainly muslims country conflicts even parts are very much Our fault too.
…And it has not made happy the Caucaus one at least only has one Mulsim side:(
I dont think we are inactive. EU will never get any real military forces, but we do a lot by money and knowledge.
I will remind You and others, that we are investing a lot into Eastern Europe and also in Srmenia and Azerbaidian.
We also 20 new countries in the Minsk Group and by that mainly try to negosiate disputes away from war and by that instead use reward and punishment. Lukashenka knows that.
Yeah I’ve seen palis, they are like gypsies. Eastern Europeans got the money, the logistical help from West but also we have the willingness at the individual level to integrate in Western society. At least for large majority of young people. And still can’t catch up. Even young Russians try to mimic the West.
But how about those that refuse even to try, and live together and integration can be seen as treason..
If Western democracies were seen like a golden statue 30 years ago, now even some Western countries and companies start to think China is an alternative partner legitimising tyrany and corruption. They avoid criticising the CCP.
That’s a sign of decline and bad example for undecided youngsters.
Back to the muslim population in Europe, those that are moderate and integrated for the moment can be flipped very fast by the others. Simply because they fear them.
As many other I have no solutions for the unwanted ones. Some right wings here many years ago got us in big trouble, because they wanted to parashute them home.
I am also not as worried for the chinese system as many others. They for centuries has been among the poorest ones in the world and now they feed feed more and more millions. To me thats much better even they do have tyrany and corruption as well as they make unfair trade to us. Its very much better then Mao system as well as the ones before.
I think China fast will grow into the same as us. More and more things has to be renewed and repaired, which need a lot of more then attension.
So its about the centerstructur can remain intact or if it if needed can change. So I predict China will slow down as well as there can be very good reasons for china being mpre affiliated west.
Chinese alway has looked down to the rest of the world including the Russian barbarians. They onky need some raw materials from there.
nd I dont believe the integrated muslims will flip. If they turn its much more like they most of their time will turn their behinds towards Meccea. If too much remain in the old days, they – as us – will be more sekular. ts
And I think I do see them change. Here many muslims trust the Goverment more then Islam. More are telling which muslims are bad Omen. They see who is killing who here as well as where they came from.
Statistics say so and are belied. Most muslims in hard rime as wel as Sharia are killing muslims – not us porkers.
Gangs are more mixed here, but the main picture also is danes killing danes.
Thats how I think I see . I might be wrong.
Maybe you right. Time will tell.
ok
The problem is weapons are only tools …. it’s knowing when, where and how to use weapons that equals power. Say nothing of being able to maintain them.
If this is indeed a mechanism to fill the power vacuum left by Americans …. although I don’t see Biden abandoning oil, the ME or Israel any time soon …. then it will require Americans mercs to provide the power.
To that end you could really say this is a job creation project for Americans rather than any sort of self defence scheme for the UAE
Bibi doesn’t like this item.
Don’t worry, Bibi OKed this. Israel got all manner of promises of more money, weapons, etc.
He seems to have looked the other way. As they say you choose lesser of two evils.
At some point, Iran might just take a trip to the UAE and collect those airplanes.
Only barking
US carrier strike groups are in your ass
Take them out before you talk
You can only observe the carrier strike groups thoroughly, build a real size scale mock up from corrugated cardboard, cotton and persian carpets, then sink it using patrol boats during your circus style exercises xD
Your life is full of empty talks iraniroach
You have bigger problems with Erdogan’s dick. He has won in NK. Now Turkey will go after Greece.
That $82.4million is that the domestic cost and not the export price.
I think UAE will pay about $10bn for 50 F-35.
ı wrote before Uae managed to change government of Socotro island(Soqotra located between the Guardafui Channel and the Arabian Sea) in favour of Usa-İsrael..they got green-light from Usa congress for weapon sales..Pay attention to 2500 Sdb..its not good at all…
Socotra anytime belongs to Yemen.