Saudis 'offer to widen huge U.S. arms buy'

[Viva_La_Revolution]

Source: UPI

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, April 19 (UPI) -- As Saudi Arabia's confrontation with Iran swells amid claims Tehran is exploiting political turmoil in the Arab world, Riyadh reportedly has offered to expand its $60 billion arms deal with Washington to keep it on the kingdom's side.

Under that deal, first mooted in 2007, Saudi Arabia will get 85 Boeing F-15S combat jets, upgrades on 70 already in Saudi service, helicopters, missiles and tanks.

The sale, the biggest arms deal in U.S. history, will lock Riyadh into a relationship with Washington for at least 20 years, easing strains caused by 9/11.

The United States is the world's leading arms supplier and the Saudi deal will reportedly support 75,000 jobs, major defense firms like Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and General Electric have said.



Read more: http://www.upi.com/Business_News/Security-Industry/2011/04/19/Saudis-offer-to-widen-huge-US-arms-buy/UPI-95791303229419/#ixzz1JzGimWfk

[villager]

1. The sick, twisted relationship between the Saudis and the U.S. will kill the planet

it does nothing but encourage horrific, destructive policies on both sides...

[onehandle]

2. Well, it has been almost ten years since they financed 9/11.

So, why the Hell not?

[Kolesar]

3. & When the "House of Saud" gets "Mubareked", who will own these Boeing attack jets?

Wahabbi extremists?
Remember Tehran 1979?

[onehandle]

5. Don't worry.

We would back up the royal family with military action to keep those oil fields stable.

The hardware we sell them isn't just about external threats, it's also about the 'threat' within.

[Kolesar]

8. Thumbscrews and tasers...eom

[harmonicon]

6. They already are Whabbi extremists. (nt)

[liberation]

11. It doesn't matter who ends up owning those jets...

... as long as the military industrial complex can use them as a threat to justify the new round of super duper weapons that we will surely be needing to defend ourselves from our own weapons.

Built-in obsolesce, you know?

[Kolesar]

14. Fear sells...eom

[KurtNYC]

16. more likely we would blow it all up - like we have done in No Fly Zones

in Iraq, Libya and other countries. The Shah's arsenal was destroyed during the revolution of 1979 and the subsequent 8 year Iran vs. Iraq war sold MUCH more hardware to both sides.

[ck4829]

4. Really? This stuff is to deal with Iran? More like to suppress their own people.

[harmonicon]

7. This shit needs to stop.

International arms sales should be illegal. It amazes me that this is considered in any way to be acceptable.

[bossy22]

9. every country has a right to self defense

thats even stated in the UN charter- so as long as we consider self defense legitimate so will arms sales that make defense possible be legitimate.

Truthfully i see very little problems with this- it boosts our exports and keeps americans employed. And the truth is that many of these weapons will never be fired in anger. So as long as it doesn't damage american security i say sell sell sell

[harmonicon]

10. Sure, every country has the right to self defense.

I'm not arguing that in the least. Any country should be able to manufacture their own weapons. We are nothing but merchants of war and death by selling these weapons. While it may be possible that most "will never be fired in anger", many will be used to brutally murder millions, as they have in the past. I don't think it's crazy to think it's wrong to profit from death. While it may not change American security, I - crazy as it may be - value every human life equally, American or not.

[liberation]

12. "So as long as it doesn't damage american security i say sell sell sell"

And when it does you will be saying buy buy buy buy buy...

[plumbob]

15. Certainly keeps THESE Americans employed - employed as targets and tripwires.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_military_bases

Bulgaria
Main article: Bulgarian-American Joint Military Facilities
Aitos Logistics Center
Novo Selo Range
Germany
Main article: List of United States Army installations in Germany
Iraq
Main article: List of United States Army installations in Iraq
Israel
The Dimona Radar Facility is an American-operated radar base in the Negev, staffed by 120 US military personnel.<1>
Italy
Caserma Ederle, Vicenza
Camp Darby, Pisa-Livorno
Japan
Camp Zama, Tokyo
Torii Station, Okinawa
Fort Buckner, Okinawa
Kuwait
Main article: List of United States Army installations in Kuwait
Kosovo
Main article: List of United States Army installations in Kosovo
South Korea
Main articles: List of United States Army installations in South Korea and United States Forces Korea
Afghanistan
Camp Dwyer
Camp Leatherneck
Camp Rhino
FOB Delhi
FOB Delaram
FOB Fiddler's Green
FOB Geronimo
PB Jaker
Germany
Camp Panzer Kaserne, Böblingen
Japan
Marine Corps Base Camp Smedley D. Butler, Okinawa. Note: these camps are dispersed throughout Okinawa, but still under the administration of the MCB complex.
Camp Courtney
Camp Foster
Camp Gonsalves (Jungle Warfare Training Center)
Camp Hansen
Camp Kinser
Camp Lester
Camp McTureous
Camp Schwab
Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, Okinawa
Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Yamaguchi Prefecture
Camp Fuji, Shizuoka Prefecture
United States Navy
Main article: List of United States Navy installations
Domestic
United States Navy (57)
California NAWS China Lake Maryland Fort Meade NSGA
NB Coronado NAS Patuxent River
NAS Lemoore United States Naval Academy
NPGS Monterey Mississippi NCBC Gulfport
NAS North Island NAS Meridian
NB Point Loma NS Pascagoula
NB Ventura County-NAS Point Mugu Nevada NAS Fallon
NB Ventura County-NCBC Port Hueneme New Jersey NWS Earle
Naval Base San Diego NAES Lakehurst
Connecticut NSB New London New York NSA Saratoga Springs
Washington, D.C. Washington NY Pennsylvania NAS Willow Grove
United States Naval Research Laboratory Rhode Island NS Newport
Florida Corry Station NTTC South Carolina NSA Charleston
NAS Jacksonville Tennessee NSA Mid-South
NAS Key West Texas NAS Corpus Christi
NS Mayport NAS JRB Fort Worth
NSA Orlando NS Ingleside
NSA Panama City NAS Kingsville
NAS Pensacola Virginia Chesapeake NSGA
NAS Whiting Field NSWCDD
Georgia NAS Atlanta Training Support Center Hampton Roads
NSB Kings Bay NAB Little Creek
Hawaii NS Barking Sands NS Norfolk
NS Pearl Harbor NAS Oceana
Illinois NS Great Lakes Wallops Island ASCS
Indiana NSWC Crane Division NWS Yorktown
Louisiana NASJRB New Orleans Washington NBK Bangor
Maine NAS Brunswick NBK Bremerton
Portsmouth NS NS Everett
West Virginia NIOC Sugar Grove NAS Whidbey Island
Overseas
Bahrain
Naval Support Activity Bahrain
Naval Detachment Dubai
British Indian Ocean Territory
Diego Garcia
Brazil
Sao Paulo, Naval Support Detachment
Cuba
Guantanamo Bay Naval Base
Spain
Rota Naval Station
Japan
United States Fleet Activities Yokosuka
United States Fleet Activities Sasebo
Naval Air Facility Atsugi
Naval Forces Japan, Okinawa
Guam
Naval Base Guam
Italy
Naval Support Activity Naples
NCTS Naples
Naval Air Station Sigonella
Naval Support Activity Geata
Israel
The Port of Haifa maintains facilities for the United States Sixth Fleet.
Greece
Naval Support Activity Souda Bay, Souda Bay, Crete
South Korea
Commander Fleet Activities Chinhae
United States Air Force
Main article: List of United States Air Force installations
Domestic
United States Air Force (71)
Alabama Maxwell Air Force Base Mississippi Columbus Air Force Base
Alaska Clear Air Force Station Keesler Air Force Base
Eielson Air Force Base Missouri Whiteman Air Force Base
Elmendorf Air Force Base Montana Malmstrom Air Force Base
Arizona Davis–Monthan Air Force Base Nebraska Offutt Air Force Base
Luke Air Force Base Nevada Nellis Air Force Base
Arkansas Little Rock Air Force Base New Jersey McGuire Air Force Base
California Beale Air Force Base New Mexico Cannon Air Force Base
Edwards Air Force Base Holloman Air Force Base
Los Angeles Air Force Base Kirtland Air Force Base
March Joint Air Reserve Base North Carolina Pope Air Force Base
McClellan Air Force Base Seymour Johnson Air Force Base
Travis Air Force Base North Dakota Grand Forks Air Force Base
Vandenberg Air Force Base Minot Air Force Base
Colorado Buckley Air Force Base Ohio Wright-Patterson Air Force Base
Peterson Air Force Base Oklahoma Altus Air Force Base
Schriever Air Force Base Tinker Air Force Base
United States Air Force Academy Vance Air Force Base
Delaware Dover Air Force Base South Carolina Charleston Air Force Base
Washington, D.C. Bolling Air Force Base Shaw Air Force Base
Florida Eglin Air Force Base South Dakota Ellsworth Air Force Base
Hurlburt Field Tennessee Arnold Air Force Base
MacDill Air Force Base Texas Brooks City-Base
Patrick Air Force Base Dyess Air Force Base
Tyndall Air Force Base Goodfellow Air Force Base
Georgia Moody Air Force Base Lackland Air Force Base
Robins Air Force Base Laughlin Air Force Base
Hawaii Hickam Air Force Base Randolph Air Force Base
Idaho Mountain Home Air Force Base Sheppard Air Force Base
Illinois Scott Air Force Base Utah Hill Air Force Base
Indiana Grissom Joint Air Reserve Base Virginia Langley Air Force Base
Kansas McConnell Air Force Base Washington Fairchild Air Force Base
Louisiana Barksdale Air Force Base JBLM McChord Field, Joint Base Lewis-McChord
New Orleans Joint Reserve Base Wyoming Francis E. Warren Air Force Base
Maryland Joint Base Andrews Naval Air Facility
Massachusetts Hanscom Air Force Base
Westover Joint Air Reserve Base
Overseas
Afghanistan
Bagram Airfield
Shindand Airbase
Kandahar International Airport
Australia
Woomera Air Station
Bulgaria
Main article: Bulgarian-American Joint Military Facilities
Bezmer Air Base
Graf Ignatievo Air Base
Germany
Ansbach
NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen, Geilenkirchen
Ramstein Air Base
Spangdahlem Air Base
Greenland
Thule Air Base
Guam
Andersen Air Force Base
Italy
Aviano Air Base
Sigonella Naval Air Station
Camp Darby (Pisa-Livorno)
Japan
Kadena Air Base, Okinawa Prefecture
Misawa Air Base, Misawa, Aomori
Yokota Air Base, Tokyo
Qatar
Al Udeid Air Base
Eskan Village Air Base
Singapore
Paya Lebar Air Base
South Korea
Kunsan Air Base
Osan Air Base
Kyrgyzstan
Transit Center at Manas
Netherlands
Joint Force Command Brunssum
Philippines
Clark Air Base
Portugal
Lajes Field, Azores
Spain
Morón Air Base, Andalusia
Morón de la Frontera, Andalusia
Turkey
Incirlik Air Base
United Kingdom (tenant facilities only)
RAF Lakenheath, Brandon, Suffolk
RAF Menwith Hill, Yorkshire Dales
RAF Mildenhall, Mildenhall
RAF Croughton, Upper Heyford
RAF Alconbury, Cambridgeshire

[freshwest]

17. 'New World Order R Us.'

[JCMach1]

13. So we continue our support for one of the more disgusting

dictatorships on the planet...

[Nihil]

18. "... as long as you ignore our brutal repression and invasion of a sovereign state ..."

Funny how Bahrain's bid for democracy hasn't stirred up the same
level of "international support" that Libya did ...
:eyes: