Questions surround US-Saudi Arabia mega defense deal

The US describes the $142 billion defense agreement signed with Saudi Arabia as “the largest defense sales deal in history.”

The agreement, announced during US President Donald Trump’s visit to the Middle East this week, appears to be an ambitious and comprehensive deal involving purchases related to air force and space, missile defense, coastal security, and various other improvements.

On the other hand, when the announced sum and previously declared budget figures are considered together, the dimensions of the agreement raise doubts.

Bloomberg points out that, like the broader $600 billion economic agreement, the defense deal also lacks any details.

The report indicates that those skeptical of the administration’s activities immediately raised questions about the figures.

For example, according to estimates by Bruce Riedel, a visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution, Saudi Arabia’s total defense budget for this year was only $78 billion.

Riedel, a former senior US intelligence and national security official, says, “This is great advertising; it makes this trip look like a magnificent success. But the numbers are inconsistent.”

The White House, the Pentagon, and the Saudi Arabian Embassy did not respond to questions about the details of the agreement, such as which systems the kingdom will purchase, the terms of the potential contract, and delivery dates. The US State Department, in turn, referred questions to the White House.

Bloomberg states, “Of course, both Democratic and Republican administrations have a long history of turning previous agreements into headline-grabbing comprehensive deals for presidents to sign during their trips,” and notes that Trump had done this before, during his first presidential trip to Saudi Arabia in 2017, when he announced that the Saudis would spend $110 billion on US weapons to modernize their military.

This package included deals negotiated under the Obama administration, as well as other agreements that were in the early stages of a long process requiring Congressional approval and negotiations between the buyer and defense companies.

According to a fact sheet released by the State Department in January, the 2017 agreement has so far resulted in over $30 billion in military sales to Saudi Arabia.

Another potential obstacle is Saudi Arabia’s ability to afford large-scale defense purchases due to falling oil prices and significant domestic obligations.

The country has had to take on more debt, with its debts increasing by approximately $30 billion in the first quarter, reaching a record level.

If an agreement is finally reached between the White House and Saudi Arabia, experts will begin to sort out new and old elements. According to State Department data, active US military sales to Saudi Arabia already exceed $129 billion.

According to Bloomberg, while the figures may be unclear, they may not actually be very important. According to experts, the agreement also emphasizes the depth of the US-Saudi Arabia partnership.