U.S. approves $11.25 billion warship sale to Saudi Arabia

[IDemo]

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]

1. Damn, we never learn. nt

[cstanleytech]

3. Ok, what exactly is wrong with this in your opinion?

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]

4. Saudia Arabia should not be armed by us at all. Period! nt

[cstanleytech]

5. Why? Because they are an oppressive government or because you think they are a threat?

[Live and Learn]

6. Both. Why do you think they should be? nt

[cstanleytech]

7. Why do I think they should be what?

[Live and Learn]

8. Sold warships or armed by us. nt

[cstanleytech]

9. In this case because the ship are lightly armed and the saudi navy plays a dual role in the region

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]

10. Not buying it. No country with the human rights violations of Saudia Arabia should

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]

13. Hey I am saying they are perfect, alot of countries we deal arent like China, India and the list is

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]

16. Hmmm, I am sure I don't have to remind you that Bin Laden came from Saudi Arabia.

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]

18. And Timothy McVeigh came from Lockport, New York and but dont think

boycotting Lockport is a good idea.

[Live and Learn]

19. I'm sorry, was this about boycotting? I thought it was about selling warships?

That said, I don't think we should sell warships to Lockport. I am nothing if not consistent,

[reddread]

40. terry nichols was apprehended in my Aunt's restaurant

http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_12741839

[Spitfire of ATJ]

11. Put it this way.....

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]

14. Which zero do with providing them some moderately armed ships have dual purpose of also helping to

provide search and rescue.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

17. They could use them for royal yachts too but I doubt it.

[reddread]

22. after 9-11-01 you can ask that?

[cstanleytech]

33. Do you really think its wise to go down the road of blaming an entire country for the actions of a

a small % of their total population?

[reddread]

35. I wont be looking to you for wisdom

[cstanleytech]

36. Ha, I didnt say say you had to you can believe what the hell you want to believe.

[reddread]

37. and you can be soft on REAL terrorism if you like

but I have to say (not just as a victim) that is despicable.

[cstanleytech]

38. Nice little soundbite, heard it often during the Bush years and I didnt believe it then

when they used it to get so many bad laws and bills passed.

[reddread]

39. with the aid and assistance of their friends in

SAUDI ARABIA!

see how that works?
thinking it through is much better than not thinking.
best of luck.

[hibbing]

2. Masters of War

All the money you made will never buy back your soul.

Bob Dylan

Peace

[Spitfire of ATJ]

12. Wanna bet this will be called "foreign aid"?

[PSPS]

15. A giant part of which will be laundered into "campaign contributions."

[OakCliffDem]

20. The LCS scores its first military victory against Saudi Arabia

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]

21. The sale isn't about Saudi Arabia. It's about the U.S. government and the defense industry.

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]

23. Because arming the REAL Caliphate always turns out well? /sarcasm n/t

[n2doc]

24. Hey, maybe they can turn them over to ISIL

and then they really can have a navy....

[frizzled]

25. That's going to end up a very expensive decoration for the bottom of the Persian Gulf.

nt

[olddots]

26. we are the evil empire

not us but what our MIC has turned into

[tabasco]

27. They can christen it the Osama Bin Laden

since he's such a big hero in that country.

[TwilightGardener]

28. They don't call him "Lockheed Carter" for nothing.

[Sunlei]

29. They will need those ships because Russia & China intend to 'control' Assads sea port.

[uawchild]

30. FYI: Saudi Arabia does not share a shoreline with Syria.

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]

32. Syrias' Shipping Port (countries only port) on the Mediterranean Sea.

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]

31. once again, arming the ME states with the only US product people overseas want

sigh. We give billion$ in armaments to Qatar, which then sends millions to Hamas. Ditto Turkey et al.

[cstanleytech]

34. wordpix, these are small ships these are not nuclear powered carriers. nt