DoD Lax in Monitoring Weapon Sales to Gulf: Audit

WASHINGTON - U.S. authorities have failed to adequately monitor weapons sales to Persian Gulf countries criticized for dismal rights records or recent security crackdowns on protesters, a government audit said Nov. 18.
The Government Accountability Office pointed to "gaps" in how the State Department and the Pentagon monitor military equipment, including sensitive technology, after it is sold.

Rising tensions in the Middle East and North Africa between long-standing regimes and protesters seeking their removal triggered concern from government auditors, especially ahead of a looming $53 million arms deal with Bahrain.
Although the State Department has vetted hundreds of individuals and units set to receive U.S.-funded training in the Gulf to make sure the equipment will not be used for rights abuses, it has not done so for $188 million in assets due to reach Oman and Bahrain, the GAO said.
"Such vetting is especially critical given Bahrain's use of its security forces to quell public demonstrations since Spring 2011," it said, noting the lapses mean that sensitive technology such as night-vision devices are left "prone to diversion."
Earlier this year, Bahrain's Sunni monarchy crushed pro-democracy protests, spearheaded by the majority Shiites, with the help of troops from other Arab states in the Gulf, led by Saudi Arabia.
Twenty-four people died during the monthlong crackdown, according to official figures from Manama. Four protesters have since died in custody. The opposition said 40 people were killed.
Auditors also criticized the Defense Department for failing to document its efforts to verify the security and accountability procedures in countries receiving sensitive military equipment, while Pentagon staff in five of six Gulf countries did not document monitoring activities for less sensitive items.
"We need to ensure that the equipment is not being diverted to third parties, and that those groups and units who are the intended recipients are not implicated in human rights violations," said House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairwoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla.
Gulf Cooperation Council countries - Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates - are among the U.S. military's biggest clients, with some $22 billion in arms sales from 2005 to 2009.

UAE Received Information on F/A-18, F-15

DUBAI - Boeing provided information earlier this year on its F/A-18 and F-15 combat aircraft to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as part of the gulf state's "open fighter competition," said Dennis Muilenburg, president and CEO of Boeing Defense, Space & Security.
The data on the two fighter jets was supplied at the same time that Boeing supported government-to-government talks under the U.S. Foreign Military Sales regime, Muilenburg said.

"We're honored to have two great fighters to compete," Muilenburg told journalists at the Dubai Airshow here. "We've got hot production lines for both aircraft."
Boeing could provide cost and delivery certainty, and also ensure post-delivery logistical support for both aircraft, he said.
The Eurofighter consortium, meanwhile, confirmed in a statement that the U.K. responded to a UAE request for a briefing on the Typhoon fighter.
"The briefing took place on 17th October 2011," the statement said.
The U.K. then received a request for proposals for the supply of the Typhoon for the UAE Air Force.
"We are working hard to deliver a response," Eurofighter said.
The request for a Eurofighter bid came as a blow to the French government and industry, which have been hoping for a UAE contract for Dassault's Rafale fighter before the end of the year.
Lockheed Martin also has responded to the UAE's request for information on its F-16, which the U.S. company sees as a bridge to selling the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter to the gulf state.
Boeing hopes that moves aimed at boosting local UAE industry will help its fighter bid.
Boeing and Mubadala Aerospace, a unit of the Mubadala state-owned holding company, announced Nov. 14 they had agreed to two deals under a 2009 framework agreement to develop the UAE's civil and military aerospace industry.
Under the first deal, Boeing will establish local company Strata Manufacturing as a composite aerostructures supplier. Strata will be able to qualify as a tier 1 supplier to Boeing if it meets performance and competitiveness targets set in a so-called "strategic roadmap."
Secondly, the Advanced Military Maintenance Repair and Overhaul Center, a Mubadala Aerospace company, will work under a strategic agreement with Boeing Defense, Space & Security to provide support for military aircraft in the UAE, including Boeing-built Apache and Chinook helicopters and C-17 airlifters.
Boeing sees interest in the F/A-18 and F-15 in the gulf region, including Kuwait and Qatar.
A sale of F-15s to Saudi Arabia is under government-to-government discussion, after having sparked protest from Israel.

Dubai Show May Include 1,000 Exhibitors................. JF-17 To Make Gulf Debut

PARIS - Pakistan is looking to steal the thunder with its JF-17 fighter jet, due to fly at the Dubai Airshow, opening Nov. 13.
The JF-17 Thunder, a single-engine, multirole combat aircraft, is co-developed by Pakistan Aeronautical Complex and China, where it is dubbed the FC-1 Fierce Dragon.
With a price tag of $20 million to $25 million per unit, the JF-17 is a low-cost plane poles away from Western-built fighters such as the F-15, F-16, F/A-18 and Rafale, also to be displayed.
Dubai will be the JF-17's fourth air show, after a static display at Farnborough, and flights at the Izmir show in Turkey and Zhuhai in China.
Pakistan also is showing off its Super Mushshak basic trainer, flown by the Saudi and Pakistan air forces, and its Karakoram-8 light trainer jet.
Alenia will field its M346 trainer jet, which previously won a UAE competition for a lead-in fighter trainer only to see the deal called off and a new tender set.
The U.S. is fielding the V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft alongside the conventional AH-64 Apache Longbow attack helicopter.
In the expanding market for spy planes, L-3 Communications will display its modified King Air 350ER turboprop, pitched at foreign clients as an intelligence, surveillance and recon asset.
At the large end of the spectrum, a Boeing 737 airborne early warning and control system plane from the Turkish Air Force will be at the show.
Dubai will host the 12th edition of the air show, which has booked up to 1,000 exhibitors from 50 countries, a 12 percent increase over 2009, the organizers said. More than 55,000 trade visitors are expected.

Saudi King to Name Salman as Defense Minister: Source

RIYADH - King Abdullah is expected to name his half-brother Prince Salman, who is governor of Riyadh, as the new defense minister to succeed the late Crown Prince Sultan, a Saudi official said Oct. 31.

Saudi Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, seen delivering a speech in India last year, will reportedly be Saudi Arabia's next defense minister. (Raveendran / AFP via Getty Images)

"The monarch will name Prince Salman as a defense minister later on Monday," the source told AFP, requesting anonymity and without giving further details.

King Abdullah last week named Interior Minister Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz as crown prince succeeding his brother Sultan, who died in a U.S. hospital on October 22.
Salman and Nayef are full brothers.

Despite Sales Drop, France 4th Largest Exporter

PARIS - French arms export orders fell in 2010, but the country held its ranking as the world's fourth-largest exporter, an annual report on foreign defense sales to parliament said Oct. 26.
Exports declined to 5.12 billion euros ($7.12 billion) in 2010 from 8.16 billion euros in the previous year, according to the report.

The foreign sales were secured in a "difficult climate and in an extremely volatile context," a Defense Ministry spokesman, Army Gen. Philippe Ponties, told journalists.
Exports are seen as vital to French defense industry and the government, as the domestic budget is expected to fall sharply as part of deficit reduction plans.
A major objective next year is to pursue at a New York conference an international treaty on arms sales, said Foreign Ministry spokesman Bernard Valero.
France held a 6 percent share of the world market based on an annual average of deliveries, behind the United States, which dominates with a 53.7 percent share, Britain with 12.5 percent, and Russia with 8.2 percent, the report said.
The world market was estimated at 60 billion to 70 billion euros in annual sales, Ponties said.
Major deals sealed last year included a sale of the A330 multirole tanker transport aircraft to Saudi Arabia, Cougar helicopters to Malaysia, and the upgrade of Alphajet trainer jets for Morocco.
This year, France sold two Mistral-class command and projection ships to Russia, and signed a long-awaited contract to modernize Mirage 2000 fighter jets for the Indian Air Force.
Winning a big contract for 60 Rafale fighter jets with the United Arab Emirates has proved elusive, as the UAE balked at an initial $10 billion price tag.
Defense Minister Gérard Longuet said Paris is in "final negotiations" with the UAE on the Rafales, but there has been no comment from UAE authorities.
Paris supports foreign arms sales, which are seen as a key foreign policy tool, helping France hold its place at the top in international affairs, Ponties said.
The sales are conducted under a strict export control regime, he said.
The foreign contracts also are seen as vital to maintaining the country's defense industry and technology base and supporting 135,000 directly employed in the domestic economy, he said.

German Party Sues Government on Saudi Tank Deal

BERLIN - Germany's opposition Green party is taking the government to court over a reported secret deal to sell hundreds of tanks to Saudi Arabia, a party spokeswoman said Aug. 1.
"A suit brought by the members of parliament Christian Stroebele, Claudia Roth and Katja Keul was filed on Friday" with the Constitutional Court, the spokeswoman added.

The Greens, who oppose the reported deal, have asked the court to rule on whether the government is entitled to grant an export license for the tanks without informing parliament.
Press reports recently suggested that Saudi Arabia would be buying 200 Leopard-2s, Germany's main battle tank, which is also produced under license in Spain, for a multibillion-euro sum.
Chancellor Angela Merkel and her government have refused to comment on the reports, saying such matters are confidential and decided by the federal security council, a panel that rules on arms exports and is chaired by the chancellor.
"Deliberation and decisions by the federal security council are secret for good reason," Merkel has told the press.
For decades, Germany has declined to sell such heavy weapons to Saudi Arabia because of concerns over human rights and fears for Israel's security.
Opposition politicians and even some members of Merkel's ruling center-right coalition have slammed the reported tank sale, particularly in light of pro-democracy uprisings throughout the Middle East.

L-3 Displays Intel Plane, Eyes Export

LONDON - L-3 Communications has taken the wraps off a modified King Air 350 ER turboprop, which it says offers overseas customers an intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capability in advance of the U.S. Air Force's Project Liberty MC-12 aircraft but without many of the export clearance hang-ups associated with selling sophisticated spy platforms.
The U.S. company used last weekend's Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) at the Royal Air Force base at Fairford, England, to debut its Spydr aircraft to air force chiefs and others from around the world who gather for the annual event.

Bob Spivey, vice president of special programs for L-3's Mission Integration Division, said if necessary the Spydr aircraft can avoid some of the issues created by International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) by using technology sourced from outside the U.S.
Italy's Selex Galileo announced July 18 it was partnering with L-3 to offer its e-scan PicoSAR synthetic aperture radar as a payload option.
The L-3 executive said they were also talking to German electro-optical/infrared turret provider Zeiss.
Discussions with other potential suppliers were also underway, but Spivey declined to name them at this stage.
"It doesn't matter whether we put an [L-3] Wescam or Zeiss ball on Spydr. It's the same capability, just a different source of technology. Using technology like the PicoSAR makes it exportable and gets us out of some of the ITAR issues," Spivey said.
The privately funded Spydr development is pitched at domestic and export customers in defense and civil markets looking for a lightweight, affordable ISR capability, Spivey said.
Nations big and small are looking for ISR capabilities for maritime and land surveillance, civil duties with the police and other roles that won't break the bank.
King Air platform builder Hawker Beechcraft brought a special missions demonstrator of its own to the Paris Air Show last month, and Spivey reckons Boeing and Raytheon will also be among those competing in the expanding market sector.
The Spiral 1 development aircraft shown by L-3 at RIAT featured a fuselage-mounted Wescam electro-optical/infrared turret, a fuselage pod with a 100-pound payload, a tactical data link, satellite communications, a full signals intelligence system and other sensor options.
Spivey said the aircraft was returning to the U.S. after the tattoo to have Spiral 2 developments installed - principally a 2-foot extension of the aircraft's nose to allow a second sensor turret to be fitted - before heading for the Dubai Air Show in November.
Further technology developments are planned within the year when the aircraft goes into a planned Spiral 3 upgrade.
Potential customers in the Persian Gulf region include Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, according to L-3 Chief Executive Mike Strianese, speaking at the Paris Air Show in June.
Spivey said L-3 and others had already given the Saudis their pitch to supply ISR aircraft for possible border patrol duties. The executive said the machine, which is effectively a next-generation aircraft beyond Project Liberty, is also creating interest in South America, the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, southern Africa , the U.K. and the U.S.
Britain already operates a Raytheon-supplied King Air special mission aircraft known as the Shadow.
Spivey said the Spydr is about three generations ahead of that aircraft, which was purchased by the British as an urgent operational requirement for campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Mark Johnson, L-3's vice president of next-generation ISR special programs, said the key design themes were flexibility and modularity to allow the company to tailor Spydr to meet the differing demands of customers.
L-3 has delivered dozens of special mission King Air-based twin turboprops, including MC-12 aircraft, to the U.S. Air Force but is not restricted to using the platform.
"While we love the airplane, we are not limited to using it," Spivey said. "The King Air just happens to be our test airframe."
The executive listed the C-27J, EADS CASA aircraft and the Dash-8 as other potential airframes.
"We are more talking about mission system than platforms," Spivey said. "[The King Air] just happens to be a real nice turbo aircraft which gets up to 35,000 feet. In the maritime surveillance business, you may need something like the Dash-8."
Spivey said the modular mission system also allowed a move down to smaller aircraft than the King Air, and the company was already doing some lighter-than-air and special operations-type work.

U.S. Lawmaker Opposes Further Tank Sales to Egypt

Freshman U.S. Rep. Allen West, R-Fla., is opposing the latest proposed sale of M1 Abrams tanks to Egypt, a deal with an estimated cost of $1.3 billion.
On July 1, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) notified Congress of the potential sale.

If it goes through, the sale would include 125 M1A1 Abrams tank kits for co-production and associated weapons, equipment, parts, training and logistical support, according to the DSCA notice.
In a July 18 letter, West, a member of the House Armed Services Committee and the Tea Party Caucus, said he opposes any military sales to Egypt as long as the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist party, "remains active in the political process" there.
West sent the letter to Rep. Buck McKeon, R-Fla., the House Armed Services Committee chairman. Copies of the letter also were provided to House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, and other House leaders.
Last month, the U.S. said it would resume direct contact with the Muslim Brotherhood, which has become an influential political force in Egypt since former President Hosni Mubarak was forced out of office earlier this year.
"We believe, given the changing political landscape in Egypt, that it is in the interests of the United States to engage with all parties that are peaceful and committed to nonviolence that intend to compete for the parliament and the presidency," Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said June 30 on a trip to Budapest.
Since Mubarak's departure, the Egyptian military has formed an interim government, which recognized the Brotherhood's political party in June. Parliamentary elections are scheduled for this fall, and a presidential election could take place by the end of the year.
Meanwhile, West says the proposed tank sale to Egypt could "seriously jeopardize" Israel's security.
"We must exercise caution with regards to military sales and support to the Egyptian Government until a government is formed absent of the radical elements of the Muslim Brotherhood that will maintain active peace with Israel," West writes.
Founded in 1928, the Brotherhood has never been classified a terrorist organization by the U.S. While the group renounces violence, it has verbally supported Hamas, which has carried out attacks against Israel.
According to the Congressional Research Service, the U.S.-Egyptian co-production of the M1A1 Abrams tank, which began in 1988, is "one of the cornerstones of U.S. military assistance to Egypt."
Egypt plans to acquire a total of 1,200 tanks. Some of the tank's components are manufactured at an Egyptian facility, while the remaining parts are produced in the U.S. and then shipped to Egypt for final assembly. The prime contractor is General Dynamics, located in Michigan.
"The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not alter the basic military balance in the region," the DSCA notice says.
By law, the government is required to notify Congress of any foreign military sale over a certain value. Depending on the country and the sale, Congress has between 15 and 30 days to block the sale by a joint resolution of disapproval.
To date, no sale has ever been blocked by this method, although Congress came very close during the 1980s with an arms sale to Saudi Arabia.
Congress can also pass legislation to stop or modify sales at any time up to the point of delivery.

Merkel Defends Silence on Reported Saudi Tank Deal

BERLIN - German Chancellor Angela Merkel on July 8 defended her government's silence on a reported secret deal to sell hundreds of tanks to Saudi Arabia, and said she was committed to democracy in the region.
"Deliberation and decisions by the federal security council are secret for good reason," she told the daily Mittelbayerische Zeitung, referring to the panel including the chancellor and top ministers that rules on arms exports.

Saudi Arabia is reportedly about to buy 200 Leopard-2s, Germany's main battle tank, which is also produced under license in Spain, for a multi-billion-euro sum.
Germany, which for two decades has declined to sell such heavy weapons to Saudi Arabia because of concerns over human rights and fears for Israel's security, has refused to officially confirm the reports citing a secrecy policy on such deals.
Opposition politicians and even members of Merkel's ruling center-right coalition have slammed the reported tank sale, particularly in light of democratic uprisings throughout the Middle East.
Selling tanks to Saudi Arabia at a time when that country has sent armored vehicles to help put down a peaceful protest movement in neighboring Bahrain is "a slap in the face for freedom movements in the whole region," Social Democrat parliamentary deputy leader Gernot Erler said this week.
Merkel insisted in the interview that her administration was "of course doing its part to continue to support democratic development in North Africa and the Middle East together with our partners."
When asked about criticism of Berlin's secrecy on a delicate issue, she said her administration was following official guidelines.
"Transparency about exported weapons and other armaments is assured because every year a detailed arms export report is published which is also given to the Bundestag" lower house of parliament, she said.
However, a leading deputy from the Free Democrats (FDP), junior partners in Merkel's coalition, said the government should go on the offensive now that the country was openly debating the issue.
"It damages the government and it damages Germany too when only those who oppose (the sale) are heard," the foreign policy spokesman of the FDP's parliamentary group, Rainer Stinner, told the daily Rheinische Post.
"The chancellor and the affected ministers cannot keep hiding behind the sign reading 'secret'."
Opposition deputies were to present motions to the Bundestag on July 8 demanding Berlin call off the deal. The Green party said it would file a lawsuit against unnamed executives at the tank manufacturer Krauss-Maffei Wegmann in a move to force the German government to shed light on the matter.
A parliamentary whip, Volker Beck, told the daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung that the suit was based on suspicion that selling the tanks to Riyadh would violate arms export laws.

German Politicians Angered Over Saudi Tank Sale

BERLIN - German opposition parties and even some members of the ruling parties were up in arms Tuesday over reports that the government wants to overturn its export rules and sell hundreds of tanks to Saudi Arabia.
This followed press reports that Saudi Arabia is about to buy 200 Leopard-2s, Germany's main battle tank that is also produced under license in Spain.

Germany has declined for more than 20 years to sell such heavy weapons to Saudi Arabia because of concerns over human rights and fear for Israel's security.
To date, the government has refused to confirm the reports and said such matters are discussed confidentially within the federal security council, which determines export guidelines.
"The federal security council meets secretly. Therefore we can comment neither about its deliberations, nor about its decisions," foreign ministry spokesman Andreas Peschke has told reporters.
But opposition leaders have demanded a parliamentary debate on the matter.
"The government must explain itself at some stage," Green parliamentary leader Juergen Trittin told ARD television on July 5.
"Such decisions cannot be taken at a time when people are fighting for democracy in the Arab world," he added.
"And now one's trying to say such heavy weapons can simply be sold to dictators - and that is the case in Saudi Arabia," he added.
"The government's readiness to sell 200 modern German tanks at a time of tension in the near East and the Arab peninsula denotes a frightening lack of judgment," the social-democrat parliamentary deputy leader Gernot Erler told the Welt newspaper's online service.
Such a policy demonstrates that Chancellor Angela Merkel and Foreign Minister Guido Westewelle "only pay lip service to supporting democratic movements in the Arab world," he added.
Selling tanks to Saudi Arabia at a time when that country has sent armored vehicles to help put down a peaceful protest movement in neighboring Bahrain is "a slap in the face for freedom movements in the whole region," Erler added.
The tiny but strategic Gulf archipelago, joined by a causeway to Saudi Arabia, has experienced repeated bouts of unrest between its Shiite majority population and its Saudi-backed Sunni ruling family.
Even in Merkel's government ranks, news of the possible deal has ruffled feathers.
Ruprecht Polenz, a Christian-Democrat who heads parliament's foreign affairs commission, suggested such a sale would go against all previous rules about exporting weapons to countries in turmoil, and even the parliament's Christian-Democrat president, Norbert Lammert, expressed concern about the timing of such a deal given the crackdown in Bahrain, newspapers reported.
The Saudi order for Leopard-2A7+ - a 55- to 62-ton tank equipped with a 120 mm gun - could be worth billions of euros to the companies Kraus-Maffei Wegmann and Rheinmetall, Der Spiegel magazine reported.
The Saudi kingdom has been in talks with the Spanish subsidiary of General Dynamics about buying their version of the Leopard tank, but the major portion of the order would land with the Germans, the magazine suggested.
The Saudis are also in talks with U.S. companies for $60 billion (41 billion euros) worth of defense equipment that would become the largest U.S. contract ever.
In an editorial, Die Welt newspaper defended the government's bid to sell the tanks and said Saudi Arabia needed to be able to defend itself against Iran.
With Iran threatening to acquire nuclear weapons "the only way to avoid a nuclear arms race (in the region) is to help the Saudis develop a strong conventional deterrence," it said.

Saudi Arabia Mulling BMD-Capable Destroyers

Saudi Arabia, which has long considered the purchase of American littoral combat ships (LCS) with a lightweight Aegis combat system, is contemplating the acquisition of new DDG 51 Arleigh Burke-class Aegis destroyers that could be fitted with ballistic missile defense (BMD) capability.

The U.S. Navy briefed Saudi officials in late May on the capabilities of DDG-51 destroyers, such as the USS Sterett, above. (U.S. Navy)

The U.S. Navy briefed Saudi officials in late May on the capabilities of the destroyers, which would be far more powerful than any ship currently in the kingdom's service.

The U.S. Navy would not confirm whether the brief included BMD options, but sources did not deny that it was part of the presentation.
Saudi Arabia has been looking at Aegis-equipped LCS designs from both Lockheed Martin and Austal USA since mid-2008. Those designs, which range in size from 3,000 to about 4,000 tons, would be equipped with SPY-1F lightweight Aegis radars similar to those fitted on Norwegian frigates. But the SPY-1F lacks the fidelity and software to perform the BMD mission, and the ships probably wouldn't have the electrical capacity to power a BMD radar.
The U.S. Navy's 9,100-ton DDG 51s are the heart of the fleet's BMD force. About 20 U.S. cruisers and destroyers have had their SPY-1D Aegis systems upgraded to perform the BMD mission, and more are being backfitted. Future DDG 51s will be built with the BMD capability.
A land-based Aegis BMD system also is under development by the U.S. for deployment in Europe as part of that continent's missile defense shield.
Capt. Cate Mueller, spokesperson for the U.S. Navy's acquisition office, confirmed that the "non-binding price and availability (P&A) rough order of magnitude estimate was delivered in May" to the Saudis.
The brief, she said, included information on the capabilities and prices of "medium surface combat ships with integrated air and missile defense capability, helicopters, patrol craft and shore infrastructure."
Saudi Arabia is in the midst of a major weapon upgrade for its armed services. The Saudi Naval Expansion Program II is said to be considering the purchase of up to a dozen new warships worth, according to various media accounts, between $20 billion and $23 billion.
The recent U.S. brief provided options that included buying a mix of destroyers and LCS vessels, sources said. One source said the Saudis were considering the purchase of two destroyers plus an unknown number of LCS vessels.
No decisions have been made by the Saudis. Back-and-forth talks are continuing between the countries, a Pentagon source said, with no deal imminent.
The Navy and Lockheed Martin are awaiting feedback from the Saudis, Paul Lemmo, Lockheed's head of Mission Systems and Sensors, said June 10 through a spokesman. He confirmed that Lockheed supported the U.S. Navy's presentation.
Acquisition of Aegis BMD would provide the Saudis with a considerable anti-missile capability, possibly in excess of any other gulf-region country, including Israel.
"The DDG 51 is the most capable destroyer on the planet," said one naval expert. "If the Saudis get anything like that, it would be quite significant."
A seagoing BMD capability would minimize terrorist threats to the system, said one senior retired naval officer.
"It's much more difficult to defeat it - a truck bomb doesn't matter," the retired naval officer said. Moreover, "you can move a ship to a particular threat axis. It's much harder for the other guy to plan against."
But Iran, the primary threat in the region, already operates three Russian-built Kilo-class diesel-electric submarines and is acquiring more small subs, all able to threaten ships at sea. But identification of the target may prove difficult, particularly if an Iranian sub was trying to target Saudi but not U. S. ships.
The addition of BMD-capable ships in the gulf would help the United States, which already maintains at least one such ship in the region.
"If the Saudis always have one in the gulf, it makes it easier for the U.S. Navy to meet its commitments in the region," the retired senior naval officer said.
Several other countries already operate the Aegis system or are building it into new warships, and Japan's four Aegis destroyers are BMD-certified. But the transfer of such high-level technology comes with risks - which could become a concern in Congress, particularly after this year's "Arab Spring" featured anti-government uprisings in several countries.
"If you think the kingdom isn't long for this world, a fundamentalist takeover could put a system in the hands of the enemy," the retired senior naval officer observed.
He harkened back to the late 1970s when prerevolutionary Iran, led by the shah, was a U.S. ally. Several highly capable destroyers were under construction for Iran when the shah fell.
Those ultimately were not delivered, but earlier, the U.S. had certified Iran as the only ally to receive F-14 Tomcat fighters equipped with the Phoenix air-to-air missile, then a state-of-the-art capability. Those aircraft and missiles all fell into the hands of the anti-U.S. Iranian government.

SIPRI: New START Unlikely to Have Short-Term Effect

HELSINKI, Finland - The recent New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty is unlikely to much alter the nuclear landscape in the short term, said SIPRI (Stockholm International Peace Research institute), the Stockholm-based think tank.
New START calls for slowly paring the U.S. and Russian arsenals to 1,500 warheads from the nearly 5,000 currently deployed, which includes some 2,000 on high alert, SIPRI notes in its 2011 Yearbook, released on June 7.

"It's a stretch to say that the New START cuts agreed by the U.S. and Russia are a genuine step toward nuclear disarmament when their planning for nuclear forces is done on a time scale that encompasses decades, and when nuclear modernization is a major priority in their defense policies," Shannon Kile, a senior research analyst with SIPRI, said in a statement.
The think tank remains skeptical about the desire for meaningful short-term disarmament by the eight nuclear powers.
"The five legally recognized nuclear weapons states, as defined by the 1968 Non-Proliferation Treaty, are either deploying new nuclear weapon systems or have announced their intention to do so," says SIPRI, referring to the Britain, China, France, Russia and the U.S.
India and Pakistan are expanding their ability to make weapons-grade nuclear material, said SIPRI director Daniel Nord.
"South Asia is the only place in the world where you have a nuclear weapons arms race," Nord said.
SIPRI estimates that more than 20,500 warheads are in the arsenals of the world's eight nuclear powers: Britain, China, France, India, Israel, Pakistan, Russia, and the United States. Russia has 11,000, including 2,427 deployed, while the United States has 8,500, including 2,150 deployed, according to SIPRI estimates.

Global Spending 2010

The SIPRI report also included estimates of countries' defense spending.
It said Brazil, China, India, Russia, South Africa and Turkey are re-emerging as regional powers, with all but Turkey boosting their defense spending.
SIPRI estimates global military expenditure in 2010 rose 1.3 percent in real terms to $1.630 trillion. That's slower than recent years, which the think tank blames on the global economic crisis.
Military spending rose 5.8 percent in South America, 5.2 in Africa, and 4.1 in Oceania, a region dominated by Australia and New Zealand.
The biggest spender, the United States, spent almost six times more than China, its nearest rival, up to $698 billion in 2010.
Rounding out the top 10 were Britain, France, Russia, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Germany, India and Italy.

Indian Defense Leaders To Visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar

NEW DELHI - A.K. Antony will make the first visit by an Indian prime minister to Saudi Arabia and Qatar when he leads a senior defense delegation to the two gulf countries May 7-9.
Antony will be accompanied by Defence Secretary Pradeep Kumar, Lt. Gen. A.S. Lamba, the vice chief of the Army Staff, and other senior Defence Ministry and armed forces officials.

In the first leg of his visit to Riyadh, Antony will discuss with top Saudi leadership issues of bilateral and regional importance. The visit also aims to increase defense interactions between the armed forces of the two countries, especially in the areas of training and technical exchanges, says an Indian Defence Ministry release.
India and Saudi Arabia have regularly exchanged defense-related visits, and Indian and Saudi ships have visited each other's ports.
In the second leg of his visit, Antony will go to Doha.
"Expansion in bilateral exchanges and regional security issues will come up prominently during the discussions that Antony will hold the Qatari leadership," the release stated.
India and Qatar signed a bilateral agreement on defense cooperation during the visit of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to Doha in November 2008. The Indian and Qatari armed forces have exchanged visits and participated as observers in each other's exercises.
India and Qatar are working toward the joint manufacture of weapons and equipment, including ammunition and light weapons for the troops, and also electronic warfare systems, said Indian Defence Ministry sources.
In 2006, India attempted to buy 12 used Mirage aircraft from Qatar but agreement could not be reached because of price differences.

Iranian General Denounces Rival Gulf States

TEHRAN, Iran - A top Iranian military officer on April 30 denounced what he called an "Arab dictatorial front" and claimed that the "Persian Gulf has belonged to Iran forever," media reports said.
"The Arab dictatorial regimes in the Persian Gulf are unable to contain the popular uprisings," Gen. Hassan Firouzabadi, the chief of staff of Iran's armed forces, was widely quoted as saying by Iranian media.

"Instead of trying and failing to open an unworkable front against Iran, these dictators should relinquish power, end their savage crimes and let the people determine their own future," Firouzabadi said.
He also denounced "plots" by the Gulf Arab petro-monarchies to "carve out an identity for themselves by rejecting the identity of others," referring to Iran.
"The Persian Gulf has always, is and shall always belong to Iran," the general said.
Firouzabadi, speaking on the annual "National Day of the Persian Gulf," also condemned regional Arab monarchies for refusing to call the waterway between Iran and its Arab neighbors by its "historical name."
"With the arrival of the British and later the Americans in the region, plots were hatched to try and change the name with fake identities ... to distort the history and identity of the Persian Gulf," Firouzabadi said.
Relations between Iran and its Gulf Arab neighbors have deteriorated sharply, with the latter accusing Tehran of seeking to destabilize Arab regimes in favor of popular unrest that has erupted in many Arab countries.
Shiite-dominant Iran has strongly criticized Saudi Arabia's military intervention in Sunni-ruled Bahrain aimed to help crack down on a Shiite-led uprising there.
Iran says it gives "moral support" to Bahrainis but is not involved in the protests there.
Bahrain and Kuwait have in turn expelled Iranian diplomats, accusing them of espionage.
Iran has in the past claimed Bahrain as part of its territory, and it controls three islands in the southern Gulf that are also claimed by the United Arab Emirates.

South Africa Exporting Arms to Repressive Regimes: Report

JOHANNESBURG - South Africa has exported millions of dollars' worth of arms to some of the world's most repressive regimes, a weekly newspaper said Sunday, citing a classified government weapons report.
Africa's largest arms exporter has sold weapons to five of the 10 least democratic states on the Economist Intelligence Unit's Democracy Index and 10 of the 25 worst performers on the Global Peace Index, which ranks nations by their peacefulness, according to The Sunday Independent.

The paper cites Algeria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Burundi, China, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Libya, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia and Yemen as countries with questionable democracy and human rights records that have received South African weapons.
The government last year approved the sale of 35 billion rand ($5.3 billion, 3.6 billion euros) in arms to 78 countries, the Independent said, citing the annual report of the National Conventional Arms Control Committee, which officials have kept under wraps.
Of that total, the paper identified more than one billion rand in sales to repressive regimes.
South Africa's arms sales have been under the spotlight since opposition politicians accused the government of selling weapons to Libya, which they said leader Moammar Gadhafi's forces may now be using against civilians in the country's deepening conflict.
Justice Minister Jeff Radebe, who chairs the arms control committee, told parliament South Africa had exported 81 million rand ($12 million, eight million euros) in weapons to Libya from 2003 to 2009, but said at the time there was no indication the arms would be used on civilians.
South Africa's arms control act requires the committee to vet exports by the country's $2.6-billion defense industry to ensure they will not be used for anything but "legitimate defense and security needs".
South Africa developed a home-grown defense industry during the apartheid era, when the white-minority regime was under a U.N. arms embargo.
The industry lost much of its government funding after the first democratic elections in 1994, turning to overseas sales to fill the gap.
According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, South Africa was the world's 15th largest arms exporter from 2006 to 2010.

Britain in Eurofighter Talks with Indonesia: Report

LONDON - Britain is in talks with Indonesia on the possible sale of Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft despite concerns over Jakarta's human rights record, The Times newspaper reported March 10.

Britain is reportedly in talks to sell 24 Eurofighter Typhoon jets to Indonesia for about 5 billion pounds ($8.1 billion, 5.8 billion euros). (RAF)

Indonesia informally approached Britain over the potential acquisition of up to 24 jets. The previous Labour government banned defense exports to the country in 1999 amid claims it had used British-made planes to bomb civilians.

The sale would be worth around 5 billion pounds ($8.1 billion dollars, 5.8 billion euros) in total, the paper said, but would be hugely controversial in light of current concern over the source of weapons being used against Arab rebels.
British military company BAE Systems has separately offered to upgrade Indonesia's fleet of Hawk jets, it said.
Gerald Howarth, a British defense minister, will discuss the potential sale when he attends a defense summit in Jakarta later this month, the Times said.
"I fully expect that to be the case," Howarth told the paper. "Typhoon is on their agenda. Their interest shows the extent of interest by countries around the world in what is one of the most sophisticated aircraft anywhere."
Human rights group Amnesty International accuses Indonesia of rights violations including police torture and a restricted media.
Former Prime Minister Tony Blair's Labour government blocked the sale of jets after it was claimed that Indonesia's Hawk fleet had bombed East Timor rebels.
Kaye Stearman, a spokeswoman for Campaign Against Arms Trade, told the Times: "From 1994 to 1999 Indonesia bought half of its military equipment from the U.K., backed by U.K. export credits.
"The people of Indonesia have accumulated huge debts which they are still paying off. The Hawk jets and other British-made weaponry were used by Indonesia in East Timor, West Papua and Aceh.
"With such a dreadful record, BAE and the British government should not be trying to sell more weapons to Indonesia," she added.
Eurofighters were grounded last year in several countries due to the problematic ejectors after a crash killed a Saudi pilot.

Top US Officer In Gulf To Reassure Allies

MUSCAT - The United States' top military officer on Monday made a discreet visit to Oman which guards the Strait of Hormuz opposite Iran's coast as Pentagon strategists monitor the strategic and vital waterway.
Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, also visited Bahrain, home to Washington's Fifth Fleet, as anti-regime protests gathered steam in the kingdom.

The key U.S. ally has been rocked by anti-regime protests since Feb. 14 as thousands of mainly Shiite protesters demand an end to the Sunni Al-Khalifa dynasty, which has ruled Bahrain, a majority Shiite country, for over 200 years.
Mullen has been touring the Gulf since Sunday to reassure U.S. regional allies after mass revolts in the Arab world that have toppled two of Washington's allies, Tunisia's Zine El Abdine Ben Ali and Egypt's Hosni Mubarak.
Mullen has said his visits were aimed at "reaffirming, reassuring and also trying to understand where the leaderships of these countries are going, and in particular in Bahrain."
After having arrived in the Saudi capital Riyadh earlier this week, Mullen then visited Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
He will also head to Kuwait to participate in ceremonies marking the 20th anniversary of the country's liberation in 1991 from Iraqi occupation.
In Oman, Mullen and Gen. James Mattis, commander of U.S. Central Command, in charge of the wars in Iraq and and Afghanistan, met officials whose identities were not disclosed.
The Hormuz Strait through which 40 percent of the world's oil supply passes is less than 31 miles wide, with Oman to the south and Iran to the north, and Mullen's visit underlines U.S. determination to keep it open.
Iranian commanders have repeatedly threatened to block navigation through the strait, which links the Gulf to the Indian Ocean, if the Islamic republic comes under attack.
Western powers led by the United States suspect Iran is masking a weapons drive under the guise of a civilian atomic program, a charge strongly denied by Iran.
"We've been concerned about Iranian capabilities to impede the flow of oil through the Hormuz straight for a long time," a military official traveling with Mullen told AFP.
The Iranians "certainly would have an initial impact but we do not believe they can close it down for a lengthy period of time."
t"We have very robust naval capabilities in the region, these are international waterways that they don't own and we're very committed to protect them," said the official.
In Bahrain, Mullen will visit the forces stationed in the Fifth Fleet, the major U. S. Navy base that has been in the kingdom for 63 years.
The Gulf archipelago state has been hit by protests calling on the government, headed by King Hamad's uncle Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman who is widely despised by Shiites there, to step down.
Seven people have been killed in a police crackdown on the protesters.
However, the United States has praised the monarchy for taking "positive steps" to reach out to protesters.
The U. S. Navy has also said that the demonstrations have not disrupted American operations in the kingdom.
"As far as Fifth Fleet operations, no, the demonstrations have not had any impact here - we're continuing to conduct our regular business out here," a spokesman for the Fifth Fleet told AFP on Monday.

IDEX: QinetiQ Reaches Research Deal With Saudis

ABU DHABI - British defense technology company QinetiQ has inked a memorandum of understanding to undertake joint development work with a leading Saudi Arabia research center.

QinetiQ said in a statement released Feb. 20 at IDEX 2011 that it had agreed a deal with King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) to collaborate on a range of research and technology development programs.

The sectors being eyed for collaboration include autonomy, robotics, sensors, communications and remote sensing, QinetiQ said.
Based in Riyadh, KACST is the Saudi national science agency and manages Saudi Arabia's national laboratories.

PAF and RSAF conducting joint exercise

ISLAMABAD  (January 17, 2011) : Pakistan Airforce (PAF) and Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) are conducting a joint air power employment exercise code name "Al Saqoor-II" in Saudi Arabia. The joint exercise commenced on January 6 and would be completed by 19th.

PAF contingent comprising F-16 and Mirage aircraft, while RSAF element consisting of F-15 aircraft are participating in the exercise in which air operations are being executed in near realistic environment.

Air Chief Marshal Rao Qamar Suleman, Chief of the Air Staff, PAF visited Saudi Arabia on December 15, 2010 to meet the participating personnel of the two air forces. He also flew in a PAF F-16 to participate in the air operations. The air chief was warmly welcomed by the Chief of the Royal Saudi Air Force, Gen Mohammad Abdullah Al-Aish. The two discussed matters of professional interest and means to further enhance co-operation between the two air forces. The exercise will benefit both participants and hone their professional skills and further enhance existing brotherly relations between the two nations and air forces. It will also enable personnel of the two forces become familiar and come closer to each other.-PR

SAUDI-PAK Joint air forces exercise

SAUDI-PAK Joint air forces exercise

بدأت تمرين " الصقور 2 " المشترك بين القوات الجوية الملكية السعودية والقوات الجوية الباكستانية بقاعدة الملك فهد الجوية بالطائف
بدأت السبت 4/2/1432هـ فعاليات تمرين " الصقور 2 " المشترك بين القوات الجوية الملكية السعودية والقوات الجوية الباكستانية بقاعدة الملك فهد الجوية بالقطاع الغربي " الطائف ".
وتشارك في الفعاليات طائرات من الجانب السعودي والجانب الباكستاني ، ويأتي هذا التمرين لبناء العلاقات العسكرية وإعداد التمارين المشتركة التي تؤكد التقارب بين البلدين.
وأوضح قائد قاعدة الملك فهد الجوية بالقطاع الغربي اللواء الطيار الركن فياض بن حامد الرويلي أن التمرين يأتي ضمن الخطوط المعدة لتطوير الجاهزية العملية والقتالية للقوات الجوية الملكية السعودية ، وكذلك تبادل الخبرات مع القوات الجوية الباكستانية الشقيقة.

TRANSLATE

Began to exercise the "hawks 2" Inter-Royal Saudi Air Force and Pakistan Air Force base, King Fahd


Air Dam
Began Saturday, 02.04.1432 e events exercise "hawks 2" Inter-Royal Saudi Air Force and Pakistan Air Force , King Fahd Air Sector West "Taif".
The aircraft involved in the events from the Saudi side and the Pakistani side, comes this exercise to build military relations and the preparation of joint exercises that emphasize the convergence between the two countries.
The commander of King Fahd Air Base in Sector West corner of the pilot, Major General Hamid bin Fayyad Ruwaili that exercise is part of the stomach fonts for the development of the process and combat readiness of the RoyalSaudi Air Force, as well as exchange experiences with the PAF

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