Posted on 07/08/2011 12:12:00 PM PDT by sukhoi-30mki
Despite revolution, US set to approve tank sales to Egypt
By YAAKOV KATZ
07/08/2011 18:21
If approved, the deal would increase the number of Abrams tanks in Egypt from around 1,000 to 1,13; Congress must approve deal.
Despite the recent revolution in Egypt and continued anti-government demonstrations there on Friday, the United States signaled this week that it plans to continue business as usual when it comes to arms sales to the Egyptian Military.
On Friday, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress of a possible sale of 125 M1A1 Abrams tank to Egypt – the first large arms deal since Hosni Mubarak was ousted from power in February - including associated weapons, equipment, parts, training and logistical support for an estimated cost of just over $1.3 billion.
If approved, the deal would increase the number of Abrams tanks in Egypt from around 1,000 to 1,130.
According to the notification to Congress, Egypt would receive 125 tanks parts of which would be produced in Egypt as well as M256 Armament Systems, M2 .50 caliber machine guns, 7.62mm machine guns, spare parts, maintenance, support equipment, personnel training and other related elements of logistics and program support.
The Pentagon told Congress – which has 30 days to object to the deal – that the sale of the tanks would “contribute to the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to improve the security of a friendly country that has been and continues to be an important force for political stability and economic progress in the Middle East.”
The Pentagon further stated that the new tanks would “provide Egypt with a modern tank fleet, enhancing its capability to meet current and future threats.”
News of the deal raised some eyebrows in Israel which has carefully watched arms sales to Egypt ever since Cairo began to receive foreign military aid from the United States to the tune of about $1.3 billion annually following the peace treaty the two countries signed in 1979.
Israel has in the past lobbied Congress against specific arms deals to Egypt. In the past few years, Egypt has purchased 24 new F-16 fighter jets, new Hellfire missiles, new Harpoon anti-ship missiles, new TOW anti-tank missiles, new Chinook transport helicopters and new Apache attack helicopters.
Israel is concerned of the possibility that Egypt will take a radical shift in elections expected to be held by the end of the year and could potentially once again turn into a hostile state to Israel, depending possibly on the identity of the new president and the amount of seats the Muslim Brotherhood win in parliament.
The IDF has for the time being taken a cautious approach to the developments in Egypt with Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Benny Gantz choosing a long-term plan formulated by the Planning Directorate, under which the IDF would grow over a number of years and not launch an immediate procurement plan to counter the possible threat evolving in the South.
Gantz’s thinking is based on the assumption that a war with Egypt will not happen any time soon, and that an immediate new procurement plan announced by the IDF could actually have the opposite effect, be detrimental and increase tension between the countries.
Allways selling tools to invade Israel to the Arabs. Somehow I think its not a wise investment.
Wow,
I am stunned that we are in the arms selling business still.
You get a peace prize for selling tools of war?
It’s my understanding that we have a tank factory in Egypt and there are already 1000 tanks in inventory. We need to bring those tanks home or move them out of the country and close the factory. But.....the muslim brotherhood will be happy to get them.
We're not really selling this stuff - we're actually giving it away!
Arms sales are always good for the economy. Just think how many people would be out of work, if we didn’t sell munitions and weapons systems.
Since Egypt is a major recipient of US military aid, does this technically qualify as an arms sale??
As long as the people in the tank plant here in the US get paid, it is to me.
Some of the parts are brought in. The M256 cannon and
stabilizer, sights, and engines are imported.
More Obama effort to wipe Israel off the map. With Mubarak gone, this is a very, very bad move.
Get that Republic Aircraft factory and tooling back on line. Israel needs about 100+ A-10s.
So is Holder right now I suspect.
The aid money spent on supplying tanks to Egypt can also be used to supply equipment to the US military. And that will also keep people in the US employed.
Sales?
They will use the money we give them to make the “purchase”.
Sales?
They will use the money we give them to make the “purchase”. But as long as obungler’s homies in the muzzie brotherhood are happy ...
But we want that stuff to get destroyed, so we can sell more.
...would increase the number of Abrams tanks in Egypt from around 1,000 to 1,130...Apropos of nothing, in the 1973 war, despite all the disadvantages Israel had to overcome, the Syrian invasion force of about 1400 tanks limped back home as a retreating force of about 350 tanks.
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