Washington: The US Senate on Wednesday backed the Obama administration’s plan to sell more than $1 billion worth of American-made tanks and other weapons to Saudi Arabia, soundly defeating a bid to derail the deal pushed by lawmakers critical of the kingdom.
Senators who supported the sale said the United States can’t deny its Middle East allies the weapons they need to combat Daesh extremists and check Iran’s aggression in the region.
“Blocking this sale of tanks will be interpreted by our Gulf partners, not just Saudi Arabia, as another sign that the United States of America is abandoning our commitment to the region and is an unreliable security partner,” said Senator John McCain, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Although a resolution against the sale failed to advance on a vote of 71-27, the measure’s sponsors said the debate demonstrated that congressional support for arms sales — even to a longtime and important Middle East ally — isn’t automatic. They also used the time to insist that Congress play a larger role in foreign policy decisions, especially those involving the use of military force.
The war in Yemen is pitting the country’s internationally recognised government and a Saudi-led coalition against the Iran-backed Al Houthi rebels, who are allied with army units loyal to a former president. The Saudi-led coalition has been carrying out air strikes in Yemen since March 2015.
The United States is supporting the Saudi-led coalition with intelligence and logistical support, including refuelling aircraft, according to senators opposed to the sale. Most Americans are unaware of how involved their military is in Yemen, they said, adding that lawmakers never have fully discussed whether the participation advances US national security interests.
The Defense Department informed Congress of the proposed $1.15-billion sale to Saudi Arabia on August 8. The deal involves more than 100 main battle tanks, machine guns, smoke grenade launchers, night-vision devices, vehicles to recover damaged tanks from the battlefield, and thousands of rounds of training ammunition.
The primary contractor for the equipment is General Dynamics Land Systems of Sterling Heights, Michigan.
