My disagreement with giving them our tech, even older tech is that they aren’t a stupid breed of people. They do have the capabilities to determine logical upgrades, one step at a time, just as we did.
That’s letting someone into the kitchen who I don’t want near my foodstuffs.
I understand your skepticism on the subject. But I think it is fairly sound. You can control their military technological gains if you do it smartly. Finally, they are very intelligent and crafty and deserve to be watched, but remember, “Keep your friends closer and your enemies even closer.”