Pentagon Plans $365-Million Arms Sale to Saudis

The Pentagon notified Congress on Monday that it plans to sell Saudi Arabia $365 million worth of bombs and missiles, including controversial cluster bombs and laser-guidance kits that transform ordinary bombs into “smart” weapons with pinpoint accuracy.

Saudi Arabia needs the munitions to replace those used during the six-week Persian Gulf air war, the Pentagon said. Because the weapons are replacements, the sale would not run the risk of setting a precedent for arms transfers to the volatile Middle East.

Even so, the announcement is expected to inflame mounting concerns in Congress about arms-proliferation in the area. Several proposals are pending to impose a moratorium on sales until there is progress in regional peace talks.

Lawmakers are considered unlikely, however, to block this transaction. Under rules governing arms sales, the deal will proceed unless both houses of Congress pass a joint resolution opposing it within 30 days.

The Bush Administration proposal calls for the sale to Saudi Arabia of 2,000 MK-84 “iron” bombs, 2,100 CBU-87 cluster munitions, 770 AIM-7M Sparrow air-to-air missiles and a number of laser-guided bomb components.

The announcement marks the first time since the end of the Persian Gulf War that Washington has proposed selling lethal weaponry to Saudi Arabia. Two earlier Saudi arms packages involved only support equipment and spare parts. Since mid-June, the Administration has proposed a total of $1.7 billion in arms sales to Middle East nations.

The latest proposal could invite renewed scrutiny of Saudi Arabia’s defense needs and the use to which it expects to put the new weapons. For instance, the Administration is proposing to sell the kingdom 770 Sparrow missiles although Saudi aircraft shot down only two Iraqi jets during the Gulf War.

Last fall, congressional opposition delayed an Administration proposal to sell about $15 billion worth of weapons to Saudi Arabia, including 24 F-15F fighters, M-1A1 tanks and Apache attack helicopters. At the time, White House officials told Congress that the Administration would not seek major new weapons for Saudi Arabia until a team of Pentagon military experts had reassessed the kingdom’s defense needs.

To some observers, Monday’s announcement appeared to be an attempt to revive that sale in small pieces. The original $15-billion package included significant quantities of bombs and missiles that the Pentagon believes are needed to restock and expand Saudi Arabia’s arsenal.

The Pentagon has not yet presented the findings of the military team, which traveled to Saudi Arabia in late May. Officials have said that the team will sketch a broad picture of military threats facing Saudi Arabia and its neighbors in the wake of Iraq’s defeat. The Pentagon experts are not expected, however, to recommend specific arm sales to Saudi Arabia.