The US State Department on Friday, December 22, approved a possible sale of military training programs to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) for an estimated value of one billion dollars (Rs 83,33,52,50,000).
In a statement, the Pentagon said that Saudi Arabia “requested the continuation of a blanket order training program inside and outside the Kingdom” that includes “flight training, technical training, professional military education, training for traveling teams, technical assistance for field teams, and extended training services.”
It pointed out that the training program for the Saudi armed forces, including the Air Force, will include training on “avoiding civilian casualties, the laws of armed conflict, human rights, command and control, and may also include medical support.”
“This proposed sale will support the foreign policy goals and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a friendly country that is a force for political stability and economic progress in the Middle East,” the Pentagon said.
The sale of the training would enhance Saudi Arabia’s ability to counter threats, enhance regional security, and boost the Royal Saudi Air Force’s efficiency.
Approximately 339 US government or contractor training personnel will be required to travel to Saudi Arabia for at least a year to implement the deal.
This comes as US President Joe Biden’s administration is preparing to ease restrictions on Saudi Arabia’s sale of offensive weapons following peace talks with the Houthi group in Yemen, the New York Times reported, citing American officials.
In 2021, Biden imposed the ban amid concerns that US weapons were being used against civilians in Yemen, where hundreds of thousands have died from airstrikes, fighting, disease, and hunger, as a Saudi-led coalition waged war against the Houthis militia.
Former President Barack Obama banned US precision-guided military technology sales to Saudi Arabia in 2016, following a Yemen strike, but the Trump administration overturned the ban in March 2017.
