Shultz Defends Sale of F-18s to Kuwaitis

Secretary of State George P. Shultz responded to attacks by congressional supporters of Israel on Thursday by saying that a proposed sale to Kuwait of $1.9 billion in weapons, including sophisticated F-18 warplanes, represents a victory for U.S. policy-makers who have called on the tiny state to shoulder more of its own defense burden.

“They have been urged by us to do more to protect themselves--not just look to us,” Shultz said in a reference to Kuwait’s decision last year to re-register 11 of its tankers as American-flag ships to place them under the protection of the U.S. Navy.

“From our standpoint, we consider it something of a political breakthrough,” he told a Senate Appropriations subcommittee. “Kuwait is prepared to tie itself to our equipment through this substantial purchase.”

Iranian Threat Cited

Shultz said that Kuwait, ostensibly neutral in the Persian Gulf War but a financial backer of Iraq, faces the danger of attack by Iran. But opponents of the sale argued that the weapons could be used against Israel.

Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) asked Shultz what assurances Kuwait could offer that the F-18s would not be used to attack Israel.

Shultz responded that the combat radius of the jet is far less than the distance from Kuwait to Israel and that the plane has no aerial refueling capability. He said that Kuwait, which has the cash to buy arms from European suppliers if Washington refuses the deal, had considered alternate aircraft, some of them with sufficient range to reach Israel.

Sen. Dennis DeConcini (D-Ariz.) said, “It is incredible that the Administration would propose such a massive arms sale for a country which has not been particularly friendly to the United States except recently.”

The Reagan Administration, without making a public announcement, notified Congress last Friday of plans to sell the oil-rich Persian Gulf state 40 F-18 jets, 300 Maverick air-to-ground missiles, 200 radar-guided Sparrow air-to-air missiles, 120 heat-seeking Sidewinder air-to-air missiles, 400 laser-guided bombs, 200 cluster bombs and 40 air-launched Harpoon anti-ship missiles.

The sale would be the largest to an Arab nation in recent years. Earlier this year, the Administration abandoned plans to sell Maverick missiles--a potent weapon against ground forces--to Saudi Arabia because of strong opposition from pro-Israel lawmakers who complained that the weapon could be used against Israel. The Saudis had offered assurances that the arms were intended to respond to threats from Iran.

Under the complex arms sale procedures, the Administration must give Congress 20 days’ advance warning of any major transaction. It was that “informal notice” that was sent to Capitol Hill last week.

If the Administration chooses to go ahead with the sale, it must give Congress formal notification at the end of the original 20-day period. After that, the lawmakers have 30 days in which to consider legislation to block the sale.

DeConcini demanded that the Administration drop plans to sell the Mavericks, which he said are “especially threatening.”

Warplane Must Be Armed

Shultz replied: “There is no point in having the aircraft unless it has armaments on it. That particular weapon is effective for the mission (of defending Kuwait against Iran).”

Kuwait has been seeking replacements for its aging A-4 aircraft since 1983. The tiny sheikdom considered the U.S.-produced F-15 and F-16 as well as the F-18. It also considered the French-made Mirage 2000.

The F-18 originally was developed for the U.S. Navy as a less-expensive complement to the top-of-the-line F-14 in aircraft carrier air wings. However, the plane has been plagued with soaring costs that have pushed the “flyaway” price to $18.5 million each. The cost to Kuwait would be higher than that because of training and spare parts included in the package.

It would be the first sale of F-18s to a nation not formally allied with the United States. Earlier sales went to North Atlantic Treaty Organization members Canada and Spain and to Australia, a member of the Australia-New Zealand-United States (ANZUS) alliance. The plane is manufactured by McDonnell Douglas.