Free Republic

Military students from Saudi Arabia have resumed flight training at U.S. bases, nearly three months after a Saudi trainee shot and killed three U.S. Navy sailors at Naval Air Station Pensacola in Florida. The U.S. Navy said in a statement that flight training for the Saudi students resumed Tuesday. The training for about 850 Saudis at multiple U.S. bases was suspended December 10, four days after the deadly shooting. Operational training, such as flying and other non-classroom instruction, was allowed to restart once additional safety restrictions were put in place. The Navy said new policies prohibit the possession of personally...

Jordan has sent several hundred troops from its special operations forces to help the Saudi military with its many Shi'ite units contain the Yemeni Shi'ite rebellion, which has spread deep into the Arab kingdom.

WASHINGTON [MENL] -- The Bush administration has approved a U.S. plan to bolster the Saudi National Guard. The U.S. project aims to modernize the 12,000-member force, regarded as the most pro-Western wing of the Saudi military. The National Guard is headed by Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz. The Defense Department plan envisions the sale of training, equipment and support to the National Guard in a project estimated at nearly $1 billion. The project would refurbish many of the aging and neglected systems purchased by the force over the last decade. The proposed contract is the biggest approved by...