Following a failed attempt by three senators to end U.S. support for the Saudi-led war against Yemen, the State Department announced a sale of 6,700 missiles to Saudi Arabia, Ann Wright reports.
By Ann Wright
How much more slaughter in Yemen is the United State government willing to help with?
We found out when State Department announced on March 23 the sale of 6,700 anti-tank missiles to Saudi Arabia.
A man mourns the aftermath of a Saudi-led airstrike in Sanaa, the capital of Yemen, on June 15, 2015.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met Defense Secretary Jim Mattis to discuss the Saudi-led bombing of Yemen on March 23 and the missile deal was announced a few hours later. The State Department notified Congress of the proposed sale which is a part of a $1 billion weapons sales deal.
The State Department on Thursday announced the sale of 6,700 anti-tank missiles to Saudi Arabia, hours after Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met Defense Secretary Jim Mattis to discuss the Saudi-led bombing of Yemen.
Coming almost three years to the day that Saudi Arabia, supported by the U.S., began a campaign of airstrikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen, the State Department ironically and sarcastically wrote: “This proposed sale will support U.S. foreign policy and national security objectives by improving the security of a friendly country which has been, and continues to be, an important force for political stability and economic growth in the Middle East… and will not alter the basic military balance in the region.”
The U.S. increased its air strikes in Yemen in 2017 by having six times more airstrikes that in 2016.
Secretary of Defense Mattis was unconcerned about civilian casualties in Yemen: “We have been working very hard with the new U.N. envoy to end the fight in Yemen. And we believe that Saudi Arabia is part of the solution. They have stood by the United Nations recognized government. And we are going to end this war. That’s the bottom line.”
The U.S. is not the only country whose weapons manufacturers are making a killing out of killing Yemeni kids. The U.K., France, Spain and Italy, have sold billions of dollars of weaponry to countries around the world, with Saudi Arabia being one of the biggest weapons purchaser.
A war powers resolution for Yemen that represented an attempt to insert congressional oversight into U.S. military operations in the deadly civil war there was defeated by a vote of 55-44 by the U.S. Senate on March 21. Co-sponsored by three members of the Senate — Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), and Chris Murphy (D-Conn), the resolution called for the end of the U.S. role in the war.
Under the proposed massive weapons sale, Saudi Arabia will buy 6,696 TOW 2B missiles and associated training materials worth $670 million; parts and repairs support worth $300 million for its Abrams tanks and fighting vehicles, and maintenance equipment worth $100 million for its fleet of AH-64D/E, UH-60L, Schweizer 333 and Bell 406CS helicopters.
Congress now has 30 days to block the whole or parts of the sale through a privileged resolution under the AECA.
To save the lives of innocent women and children in Yemen, let’s hope Congress says no more sales to Saudi Arabia.
Ann Wright was in the U.S. Army/Army Reserves for 29 years and retired as a Colonel. She was also a U.S. diplomat for 16 years and served in U.S. Embassies in Nicaragua, Grenada, Somalia, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Sierra Leone, Micronesia, Afghanistan and Mongolia. She resigned from the U.S. government in March 2003 in opposition to Bush’s war on Iraq and since then has been very active in anti-war and social justice issues. She is the co-author of “Dissent: Voices of Conscience.”
Wow that’s allot of missiles, I assume they will mostly be shipped to Syrian forces fighting for regime change.
Lets face the US has been a bunch of thieving white war mongers since the Pilgrims arrived…The world knows the US is the biggest terrorist nation on the planet…one day, the chickens will come home to roost…and those americans still living will understand why…Germany has nothing on us…we have slaughtered, murdereed all over the world. The only way out I can is is the young people in the streets, on their feet, and brilliant will tie all this horror together and do something.
Two of my senators Carper and Coons voted for more death to these trapped Yeminis…and are both demoRATS.
Ann Wright you must have been a REMF for 29 years. However I would not be shocked to see teenagers running around the middle-east in armored vehicles shooting up the place. It would be par for the course.
The US backed Saudi effort constitutes a war crime which the leadership of both countries is guilty of.
You can really understand the whole hysterical Russiagate puppet show now, if you look logically at how this stacks up against these disgusting, grotesque arms sales? Russiagate is a huge, psy-ops operation to divert attention, to distract & disguise the fact that the US along with its poodles, the UK, French Govts are selling billions of dollars of weapons to tyrant immoral regime’s like Saudi Arabia? What’s even more disgusting is that Saudi Arabia is the Country where most of the Terrorists, responsible for 9/11 attack, came from! Instead of invading Iraq, Syria etc, why didn’t the US just invade Saudi Arabia, overthrow that Royal dictatorship & steal the oil which is their ultimate endgoal, thieving other Countries resources! It would have created less chaos & the US doesn’t abide by any U.N International laws anyway with regards to other Countries sovereignty as it’s acting like a suicidal, out of control rogue nation hellbent on leading the World into a third WW3?
I’d really like it if future weapons sales to Saudi were stopped but let’s face it, this is a pipe dream.
The arms industry knows what it does, knows that it’s weapons will be used against defenceless civilians but despite this, for decades it has continued to sell weapons to numerous dictators and oppressive states without deference to human rights. This has always continued with full support from our government.
To suggest that it will change or that congress would force a change is wishful thinking.
USA = merchants of death. We make money killing people.
Capitalist greed knows NO LIMITS! Rich people are bloodsuckers.
Yemen is a War Crime and the Perpetrators are free.
September 9, 2017
“The Genocide in Yemen by a Coalition of War Criminals”
…
There is overwhelming evidence that there are war criminals that plotted and planned a number of wars in various countries. Yet, you won’t hear or see most of the corporate controlled media exposing the criminality of the powerful war perverts in our midst, or the victims of the war criminals and their war business….
[read more at link below]
http://graysinfo.blogspot.ca/2017/09/the-genocide-in-yemen-by-coalition-of.html
Mattis is a true believer, and if directed to fellate a donkey for Israel on national TV, he’ll merely ask for the time, place, and dress requirements.
http://dish.andrewsullivan.com/2013/02/11/a-cultural-breakthrough/
Number of Starving People Surged to 124 Million Last Year Because “People Won’t Stop Shooting at Each Other,” Says UN Expert
“Wars and conflicts are driving hunger in a way we’ve never seen before,” says head of World Food Program
by Jessica Corbett, staff writer
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2018/03/23/number-starving-people-surged-124-million-last-year-because-people-wont-stop
“Largely due to armed conflicts, there has been “a staggering and stomach-churning 55 percent increase” in the number of acutely hungry people worldwide over the past two years, according to the head of the U.N. food agency.”
“The WFP found that the number of acutely hungry people—meaning they could soon die without food—rose to 124 million. Beasley pointed out that 60 percent of the 815 million chronically hungry people—those who do not know where they will get their next meal—live in areas experiencing armed conflicts.”
I have no doubt that Congress will do nothing to curtail arm sales to the Saudi’s. It’s the way the world turns for those self serving psychopaths who decide America’s political and economic agenda. For them Yemen is just one of those many, many places people die. Let’s never forget the death of 500 thousand children who died under Bill Clinton’s sanctions on Iraq, and whose Secretary of State, Albright, claimed it was worth it. Yes, the one who claimed there is a special place in hell for women who don’t vote for Hilary because she is a woman.
Number of Starving People Surged to 124 Million Last Year Because “People Won’t Stop Shooting at Each Other,” Says UN Expert
“Wars and conflicts are driving hunger in a way we’ve never seen before,” says head of World Food Program
by Jessica Corbett, staff writer
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2018/03/23/number-starving-people-surged-124-million-last-year-because-people-wont-stop
“Largely due to armed conflicts, there has been “a staggering and stomach-churning 55 percent increase” in the number of acutely hungry people worldwide over the past two years, according to the head of the U.N. food agency.”
“The WFP found that the number of acutely hungry people—meaning they could soon die without food—rose to 124 million. Beasley pointed out that 60 percent of the 815 million chronically hungry people—those who do not know where they will get their next meal—live in areas experiencing armed conflicts.”
I have no doubt that Congress will do nothing to curtail arm sales to the Saudi’s. It’s the way the world turns for those self serving psychopaths who decide America’s political and economic agenda. For them, Yemen is just one of those many, many places people die.
Yay! More money for Raytheon, General Dynamics and Lockheed Martin!
Just think of the cash flow once Joltin’ John Bolton gets that Iran War going! Plus, don’t forget the SPOILS of war once we crush them. That’s the “war dividend” right-thinking Americans should expect.
Want to know more? Contact your US Army recruiter!
“Ad astra per bellum!” — Starfleet Commandant D.J. Trump
There is no state department in the US government. Every department is a WAR department. We live in a Military State. The whole purpose of the United States is to wage war and dominate the world. Greed and violence are the highest values of America.
Indeed, you are right on with those comments. America is not a model for peace in this world; there must be some kind of internal protest/actions such as divestment within and without the foundations of our government essentially put a stop to this. America,the great bully and Imperial power has never ,in it’s history, been interested in peace – as peace is not profitable.The the potential tragedy of American hegemony is the destruction of all Beings on the great spaceship earth for which we are all citizens Muslims Christians Jews and so on. Americans,in general, are taught so effectively not care about innocent deaths around the world caused by our “humanitarian bombings”.
Israel doth not protest the latest weapons sale to its Saudi BFF.
‘Cause that’s what friends are for:
“Saudi Arabia has opened its airspace for the first time to an Israel-bound passenger plane, breaking a 70-year-ban on commercial jets flying over the Arab kingdom to reach the Jewish state.”
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/mar/23/israel-bound-flight-crosses-saudi-arabia-airspace-first-time
The State Department said with a straight face that the sale supports “U.S. foreign policy and national security objectives by improving the security of a friendly country which has been, and continues to be, an important force for political stability and economic growth in the Middle East”
For good times and bad times
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HyTpu6BmE88
Nice touch. Wish “really bringing it” applied just to Gladys Knight’s voice instead of warmonger missiles.
Israel will assist in the trans-shipment of the hardware to terrorists in Syria.
As far as I know the Yemen fighters don’t have many tanks, if any, so why 6,700 anti tank missiles. I suspect all this armament is for the coming war against Iran and further incursions into Syria. That total basket case, John Bolton is now in Trump’s government so war is inevitable. In fact, a lot of this stuff is probably destined for America’s head chopping terrorist pals who have taken a beating in Syria.