White House Approves Nearly $3 Billion Weapons Sale to Saudi Arabia

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.