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The US State Department approved the potential sale of USD 1.05 bn-worth of arms sales to Saudi Arabia, according to three separate notifications to Congress (here, here, and here — pdfs). The proposed shipments include the sale of Hellfire and Sidewinder missiles, as well as tank, artillery, and machine gun ammunition to the Kingdom. Bloomberg also had the story.
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The rationale: “This proposed sale will support US foreign policy and national security objectives by helping to improve the security of a friendly country that continues to be an important force for political stability and economic growth in the Middle East,” the notifications say. The weapons being sold would also help Saudi be better equipped to “meet current and future threats,” the State Department said.
What’s next: Unless Congress steps in to block the sales, the contractors — RTX and Lockheed Martin — and the Kingdom will kick off negotiations. Final delivery counts may fall short of the maximum approved weapon sales, Bloomberg noted.
Background: The Biden administration lifted a three-year ban on the sale of offensive weapons to the Kingdom in August, saying that Riyadh upheld its end of an agreement with Washington on drawing back its conflict with the Houthis in Yemen.
