United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio approved immediate arms transfers to Israel, Kuwait, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, skipping the standard congressional review to rush air defense missiles and laser guidance systems to West Asia as the ongoing ceasefire remains delicate. According to the State Department, the total worth of the agreements amount to approximately $9 billion.
Potential arm purchases are typically required to be subjected to a congressional review period, and the quantities and price are finalised during negotiations between customers and vendors.
The department authorised the sale of 10,000 Advanced Precision Kill Weapon-II All Up Rounds to Israel, which were worth $992.4 million and manufactured by BAE Systems.
Kawait was approved to buy Integrated Battle Command Systems and related weapons worth around $2.5 billion. The key contractors of the potential sale are Northrop Grumman Corp., RTX Corp., and Lockheed Martin Corp.
Qatar also received a clearance for the purchase of up to 200 Patriot Advanced Capability-2 (PAC-2) Guidance Enhanced Missile-Tactical (GEM-T) interceptors and 300 PAC-3 Missile Segment Enhancement interceptors and related equipments worth around $4.01 billion. Lockheed and RTX are the principal contractors in this purchase as well.
Qatar was also approved to buy 10,000 APKWS-II all-up-rounds advanced (single variant) and related arms in a separate deal. The purchase has a maximum potential valueof $992.4 million.
The UAE also got approval for a purchase deal of $147.6 million in APKWS and related equipment.
As per the statements of the State Department, Rubio “has determined and provided detailed justification that an emergency exists that requires the immediate sale” of these weapons, and that such an expedited transfer “is in the national security interests of the United States”.
Rubio previously approved expedited weapons sales to West Asian allies in March.
After the joint operation of Israel and the United States against Iran in February 28, Tehran attacked various US military bases in the Gulf and also enforced a blockade on the economically critical Strait of Hormuz. Despite the ongoing ceasefire, concerns regarding surprise airstrikes continue to haunt the region.
