US to boost weapons stockpile in Israel: report

Defense Talk ^ | 11/12/2010 | Defense Talk

[ErnstStavroBlofeld]

The United States is to significantly increase the amount of military equipment held in Israel as part of a move to upgrade security ties between the two allies, press reports said Thursday.

The move, which will see an extra 400-million-dollars worth of smart bombs and other precision weaponry and equipment moved to Israel over the next two years, was approved last week by the US Congress, the Israeli correspondent of Defense News reported.

The upgrade will see the value of US military equipment stockpiled in Israel rise to one billion dollars in 2011, with another 200 million to be added in 2012, the paper said. In 2007, the stockpile was valued at 800 million dollars.

Such equipment can be used by US forces throughout the world but also by the host country, under the terms of the US foreign aid law governing reserve stockpiles for allies.

Israel made use of the stockpile during the 2006 war with the Lebanese Hezbollah militia -- a conflict which killed 1,200 people in Lebanon, most of them civilians, and around 160 Israelis, most of them soldiers, the Haaretz daily reported

[Blogger]

Has Obama heard about this. Watch him squelch it.

[UCANSEE2]

So.... I’ll be seeing this as headlines in the NYT tomorrow?

[ErnstStavroBlofeld]

He will have to acquiesce now.

[SunkenCiv]

The United States is to significantly increase the amount of military equipment held in Israel as part of a move to upgrade security ties between the two allies, press reports said Thursday. The move, which will see an extra 400-million-dollars worth of smart bombs and other precision weaponry and equipment moved to Israel over the next two years, was approved last week by the US Congress

We should bulldoze about half of the Arab squatter structures in "East" Jerusalem (the formerly Jewish part of the city that had its Jewish population ethnically cleansed by the Jordanians in 1948) and store the stockpile there. ;') Thanks ErnstStavroBlofeld.

[DannyTN]

That’s what I was wondering.

I thought Obama was blocking almost all weapon sales to Israel.

This might be a preemptive move to keep the new House from reprimanding Obama over the way he has treated Israel.

[bruinbirdman]

"approved last week by the US Congress"

I don't think Congress was in session last week.

yitbos

[Carley]

Sure sure sure.

not

[bigheadfred]

We should bulldoze about half of the Arab squatter structures in "East" Jerusalem

We should bulldoze about ALL of the Arab squatters in "East" Jerusalem.

[JSteff]

400-million-dollars worth of smart bombs and other precision weaponry and equipment moved to Israel over the next two years

Compared to the nearly 1 BILLION we just gave Hamas it is nothing. What will Hamas do with 1 Billion except make war on Israel and kill Israeli citizens???

That much money buys a lot of greatly over priced military weaponry from Iran, China, and Russia.

[SunkenCiv]

I blame the FR clock, it’s running fast. ;’)