A U.S. Air Force F-35 Lightning II fighter jets perform air maneuvers as part of a combat force exercise in the Utah, Utah, USA test and training area. November 2018. United States Air Force Sergeant / Staff. Cory D. Payne / Document through REUTERS.
Two senior Democratic senators will introduce legislation on Friday that will reaffirm congressional oversight of international arms deals after President Joe Biden’s administration decided to continue a $ 23 billion sale to the UAE that had worried lawmakers. as reported by Congress aides.
The bill, seen by Reuters, will be introduced by Senators Bob Menendez, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Dianne Feinstein, a senior member of the intelligence committee.
The “Safe F-35 Export Act of 2020” would apply to the sale of sophisticated U.S. military technology to non-NATO countries or Israel, Australia, Japan, South Korea or New Zealand .
Among other things, it would ban the sale of F-35s, which can take years after reaching an agreement, unless some president makes detailed certifications in Congress that critical technology would not fall into the wrong hands or compromise advanced technology.
It would also require that any sale to a Middle Eastern country other than Israel not jeopardize Israel’s military advantage over those countries, and provide assurances that the aircraft would not be used in operations detrimental to Israel. security of Israel.
Reuters reported on Tuesday that the Biden administration had informed lawmakers it was proceeding with more than $ 23 billion in arms sales to the UAE, including advanced F-35 aircraft, armed drones and other equipment. Read more
The Democratic administration had stopped deals agreed by former Republican President Donald Trump to allow for a review.
Sales in the Gulf nation were signed just before Trump left office on Jan. 20, and many members of Congress, especially fellow Biden Democrats, felt they had been rushed without proper review. Read more
“We need to enact protections to ensure that the incredibly sensitive technology of these aircraft is not compromised by hostile powers in the United States, including ensuring that the UAE withdraws from its thriving relationship with China and other northern competitors. “Americans,” Menendez said in a statement to Reuters.
The Trump administration told Congress in November that it had approved the U.S. sale to the UAE as a parallel deal to the Abraham Accords, a U.S.-brokered agreement in September in which the UAE agreed to normalize relations with Israel.
In the last months of the Trump administration, Israel reached agreements with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco as part of the agreements.
The $ 23.37 billion package contained products from General Atomics, Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N) and Raytheon Technologies Corp (RTX.N), including 50 F-35 Lighting II aircraft, up to 18 MQ-9B Unmanned Aerial Systems and an air-to-air and air-to-ground ammunition package.
House lawmakers have also said they are concerned about Biden’s decision. Representative Gregory Meeks, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said Wednesday that he and other lawmakers were concerned about the decision and would review the transactions. L1N2M735P
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