• 6 years ago
YEMEN — Germany, Finland, and Denmark have stopped arms sales to Saudi Arabia due to the assassination of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi and the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Yemen. The US, however, has not.

According to a report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Saudi Arabia is America's number one weapons buyer. The country accounts for 18 percent of total U.S. arms sales, which is equivalent to roughly $9 billion.

According to CNN, the US signed a $29.4 billion deal in 2011 for 84 new F-15SA fighter jets, and the modernization of 70 current F-15s, including munitions, spare parts, training, maintenance, and logistics.

In 2017, the U.S. military sold the Kingdom a $750 million program focused on how to carry out airstrikes. They also authorized the sale of over $510 million in precision-guided munitions, according to The New York Times.

In the same year, the U.S. brokered a $110 billion arms deal that should be fulfilled over the next ten years.

According to an official statement released by the U.S. State Department, Saudi Arabia is expected to purchase tanks, fighter jets, combat ships, and Air and Missile Defense systems.

Currently, there are around 100 American military personnel providing intelligence support for the coalition. However, fewer than 35 are reportedly based in Saudi Arabia.

According to the Council on Foreign Relations, the US has had an alliance with Saudi Arabia since 1933, when the Standard Oil Company of California — now known as Chevron — won a sixty-year concession to explore eastern Saudi Arabia for oil.

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