The State Department approved a proposed sale of military technical equipment to Saudi Arabia. Washington views Riyadh as a key partner in the Middle East, even as the Kingdom rules its people with an oppressive dictatorship and wages war abroad.
On Wednesday, a statement posted by the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said the “State Department has made a determination approving a possible foreign military sale to Saudi Arabia of System Logistics and Sustainment Support and related elements of logistics and program support for an estimated cost of $2.8 billion.”
The sale includes “Joint Mission Planning Software (JMPS) hardware and support; KIV-77/78 cryptographic devices” and “US Government and contractor engineering, technical, and logistics support services; and other related elements of logistics and program support.”
Saudi Arabia is ruled by a theocratic monarchy that regularly commits human rights abuses against its people. Additionally, the Kingdom waged a brutal seven-year war against Yemen that killed at least 377,000 people, including many children who were starved to death.
The DSCA statement explained that the State Department determined that the sale “will support the foreign policy goals and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a partner country that is a force for political stability and economic progress in the Gulf Region.”
However, the Kingdom’s long list of human rights abuses is problematic for the White House, which has attempted to present Washington as the enforcer of democratic values and international law.
When campaigning for office four years ago, President Joe Biden pledged he would treat Saudi Arabia and its de facto leader, Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, as a “pariah.” Throughout his presidency, Biden has worked on a blockbuster deal between Saudi Arabia and Israel. That agreement would have required Riyadh to normalize ties with Tel Aviv in exchange for the US providing both a security pact and a nuclear program.
As the Israeli onslaught in Gaza has raged on over the past nine months, the Kingdom has shown less interest in the agreement. The White House has sought to include the rebuilding of Gaza in the normalization agreement but has faced a number of hurdles.
