U.S. approves $11.25 billion warship sale to Saudi Arabia
Source: Reuters
The U.S. government said on Tuesday it has approved the sale of up to four Lockheed Martin Corp multi-mission warships, plus associated equipment, training and logistics to Saudi Arabia, a deal valued at $11.25 billion overall.
The Pentagon's Defense Security Cooperation Agency, which oversees foreign military sales, notified U.S. lawmakers late Monday about the possible sale, and released a statement on its website on Tuesday.
"We stand ready to support that sale," Lockheed Chief Executive Officer Marillyn Hewson told analysts on an earnings call. She said the deal could be completed in 2016.
DSCA said the major defense equipment involved in the deal was worth $4.3 billion, with the rest going to fund extensive engineering, logistics and training required for the program.
Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/10/20/us-lockheed-saudi-warships-idUSKCN0SE1FD20151020
Live and Learn
(12,769 posts)cstanleytech
(26,291 posts)Considering the size and armament of these ships offhand they dont seem powerful enough to shift the balance of power in the region much if at all.
Live and Learn
(12,769 posts)cstanleytech
(26,291 posts)Live and Learn
(12,769 posts)cstanleytech
(26,291 posts)Live and Learn
(12,769 posts)cstanleytech
(26,291 posts)and patrols for pirates and also assists with search and rescue in the region and these ships are perfect for that as they have a landing pad for helicopters.
Live and Learn
(12,769 posts)receive any armaments from the US. In fact, we should have nothing to do with them unless it is aid for those that they have disenfranchised. How can you trust anyone that treats their people so shabbily?
cstanleytech
(26,291 posts)huge.
Its just not practical to pick and choose on who we want to deal with as far as trade and forming allies in a region and the fact is right now the Saudis are the most stable ones in the region unless you want to arm Israel more which imo would be damn stupid to do.
Live and Learn
(12,769 posts)We don't have a very good reputation for whom we choose to arm in the ME. Perhaps it is time we admit it and stop.
cstanleytech
(26,291 posts)boycotting Lockport is a good idea.
Live and Learn
(12,769 posts)That said, I don't think we should sell warships to Lockport. I am nothing if not consistent,
reddread
(6,896 posts)Spitfire of ATJ
(32,723 posts)Say you are a prisoner waiting your turn to be flogged for something stupid that's not even a crime in most parts of the world and you look down at your shackles and see "Made In The USA".
Way to spread the love.
cstanleytech
(26,291 posts)provide search and rescue.
Spitfire of ATJ
(32,723 posts)reddread
(6,896 posts)cstanleytech
(26,291 posts)a small % of their total population?
reddread
(6,896 posts)cstanleytech
(26,291 posts)reddread
(6,896 posts)but I have to say (not just as a victim) that is despicable.
cstanleytech
(26,291 posts)when they used it to get so many bad laws and bills passed.
reddread
(6,896 posts)SAUDI ARABIA!
see how that works?
thinking it through is much better than not thinking.
best of luck.
hibbing
(10,098 posts)All the money you made will never buy back your soul.
Bob Dylan
Peace
Spitfire of ATJ
(32,723 posts)PSPS
(13,595 posts)OakCliffDem
(1,274 posts)The Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), or as it is known to its detractors as the Littoral Container Ship, may have a few uses, but Naval Power is not one of them. It has an atrocious development history fraught with cost overruns, conflicts with Law of the Sea, and raw politics in the contracting process. It is overloaded, gold plated, and has specifications that do not match the reality of its construction. When it comes to military procurement, the LCS is definitely in the lower quartile.
The sale to Saudi Arabia is a blatant case of spreading the pain around by getting another ally to kick in some money to pay for this turkey. The Saudis are being sold a bill of goods knowing full well they will never be able to put it to use. This will be a cash cow for Lockheed because the Saudis have a track record of not being able to maintain complex hardware and solving the problem by contracting maintenance back to the suppliers. The ships will be welded to the pier and will see a yearly cruise to carry the Royal Family out for a ride down the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden.
no_hypocrisy
(46,096 posts)1. Theory is that if SA doesn't buy war toys from the U.S., they will buy them from another country.
2. Like Israel (unlikely) or Russia (more likely).
3. Russia would not only reap the profits from such a sale, but would gain political influence in SA and the region.
4. Leading other regional countries to buy from Russia, not the U.S.
5. At this time, our GDP depends upon selling war equipment to other countries.
uawchild
(2,208 posts)n2doc
(47,953 posts)and then they really can have a navy....
frizzled
(509 posts)nt
olddots
(10,237 posts)not us but what our MIC has turned into
tabasco
(22,974 posts)since he's such a big hero in that country.
TwilightGardener
(46,416 posts)Sunlei
(22,651 posts)uawchild
(2,208 posts)In fact, not only does Saudi Arabia NOT share a shoreline with Syria, they don't share a land border either
Here's a map:
Sunlei
(22,651 posts)edited to add. There is a water connection between the Black Sea & the Mediterranean sea. It's ever changing but it is there. Sea Ports seem very important recently to Putin. He grabbed Crimea for the Sea Port. IMO, Putins main interest is control of Syrias Seaport (along with China for some reason)
Here's more information about the Black Sea and how it connects to the Mediterranean.
In the past, the water level has varied significantly. Due to these variations in the water level in the basin, the surrounding shelf and associated aprons have sometimes been land. At certain critical water levels it is possible for connections with surrounding water bodies to become established. It is through the most active of these connective routes, the Turkish Straits, that the Black Sea joins the world ocean. When this hydrological link is not present, the Black Sea is an endorheic basin, operating independently of the global ocean system, like the Caspian Sea for example. Currently the Black Sea water level is relatively high, thus water is being exchanged with the Mediterranean. The Turkish Straits connect the Black Sea with the Aegean Sea, and comprise the Bosphorus, the Sea of Marmara and the Dardanelles. more
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Sea
wordpix
(18,652 posts)sigh. We give billion$ in armaments to Qatar, which then sends millions to Hamas. Ditto Turkey et al.