U.S. Resuming F-16, Tank Shipments to Egypt

ust in time for Egypt’s military campaign against Houthi rebels in Yemen, the White House announced Tuesday it would allow shipments of U.S. fighter jets, tanks, and missiles to Cairo — reversing earlier reluctance to supply heavy aid before President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi proves he has embraced democratic reforms.

President Barack Obama said he would withdraw a U.S. hold on the annual aid package — which has been in place since October 2013 — in a phone call to Sisi on Tuesday.

In a statement, National Security Council spokeswoman Bernadette Meehan said the Obama administration has “made clear our commitment to simultaneously pursuing our security interests and our support for meaningful Egyptian political reform.”

The decision to unlock part of the $1.3 billion in aid, as outlined in the 2015 appropriations law, came after officials examined the Pentagon’s relationship with Cairo “to determine what types of support make most sense — for the United States and for Egypt — under present conditions in Egypt and the region,” Meehan said.

SNIP

Overall, the United States will send 12 F-16 jets, 20 Harpoon missiles, and as many as 125 Abrams “tank kits,” to be shipped to Egypt in pieces and assembled at a factory that is owned by the Egyptian Army. Officials said it is being sent to help Cairo deal with urgent national security and counterterrorism concerns.

It’s the sale by France to Egypt of Rafale fighters that also helped pushed this sale through IMO. If Obama had continued to block the F-16 sale, Egypt would have just purchased more Rafales and General Dynamics would have lost a customer. Obama would rather a US firm got the business, so he OKed the deal. This is just my opinion, however.