North AmericaSaudi Arabia

Pentagon approves missile sale to Saudi Arabia

338608_Department of Defense

The US Department of Defense has approved the sale of thousands of anti-tank missiles to Saudi Arabia amid Pentagon chief Chuck Hagel’s visit to the Middle East.

On Thursday, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress that it had approved Riyadh’s request for nearly 14,000 tube-launched, optically tracked wire-guided (TOW) missiles and more than 1,700 similar missiles in two separate deals valued at nearly $1.1 billion.

“The proposed sale will contribute to the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to improve the security of a critical partner who has been, and continues to be, an important force for political stability in the Middle East,” DSCA said.

Hagel, who arrived in Bahrain on Thursday, reassured American allies in the region that Washington would not change its military policy.

On Friday, he said that the United States has no plans to scale back its military deployments or arms sales to the Persian Gulf states.

“I will assure our partners that we’re not going anywhere,” the Pentagon chief said.

“This region is dangerous, it’s combustible, it’s unstable,” Hagel said. “But having a steady American hand in this region to help our allies and reassure our allies is really key to working through this really dangerous instability.”

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