Pentagon Holds Fast to Troubling Relationship with Assad’s Arms Supplier
Last week, Human Rights First called on the Obama administration, which was talking tough in response to the latest atrocities committed by Bashar al-Assad’s regime, to take “immediate steps that make clear that the U.S. commitment to peace in Syria goes beyond rhetoric.”
“Weapons from the Russian-based arms dealer Rosoboronexport continue to flow to Syria,” said Human Rights First’s Sadia Hameed, noting reports of a new Russian arms shipment to the Syria government just the week before. “The State and Treasury Departments have untapped tools at their disposal to stop these deliveries and they should use them.”
Yet not only did the Obama administration remove sanctions from the Russian arms giant — imposed by President George W. Bush in 2008 for transferring missile and nuclear technology to Iran and Syria — but this Pentagon awarded state-owned Rosoboronexport a $375 million no-bid contract just two months after the Syrian uprising began.
And the arms giant is bidding for more: On Friday, the company announced that it is angling to sell ammunition to U.S. forces. Five suppliers competing for a U.S. military contract have invited Rosoboronexport to act as a sub-contractor, Bloomberg reported.
“That’s going the wrong way,” Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) told PJM today, adding that the prospect of another deal “would trouble me greatly.”
“I want the U.S. military to stop their business with Rosoboronexport, not expand the relationship,” he added.
Cornyn has been leading a charge in the upper chamber against the Pentagon’s relationship with the arms dealer, which began after the 2010 lifting of sanctions that conveniently occurred three days after Russia backed a United Nations draft resolution on Iran’s nuclear program.
In March, Cornyn and Sens. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) led a letter to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta asking that U.S. taxpayers “not be put in a position where they are indirectly subsidizing the mass murder of Syrian civilians.” The senators, including Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Bob Casey (D-Pa.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Mark Kirk (R-Ill.), Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.), Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), David Vitter (R-La.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), asked that the Pentagon “immediately” look for other suppliers for the Afghan military’s helicopters.
Russia is the top arms supplier to Syria, selling more than $1 billion in arms to the regime in 2011 alone. The Defense Department contract for the Mi-17 helicopters for the Afghanistan Air Force has the potential to reach $1 billion as well.
On March 30, Under Secretary of Defense for Policy James Miller wrote Cornyn, explaining that the Mi-17 was deemed to be a necessary craft for the Afghans, and buying directly from Rosoboronexport, the sole entity controlling export of the military helicopters, reduces the risk of acquiring counterfeit products and ensures access to the manufacturer’s technical data.
“I share your concern that Rosoboronexport continues to supply weapons and ammunition to the Assad regime and acknowledge there is evidence that some of these arms are being used by Syrian forces against Syria’s civilian population,” Miller wrote. “We have continuously registered and will continue to register our objections with Russia at all levels and at every opportunity.”
“…This in no way excuses Rosoboronexport of its activities with Syria, but our acquisition of these Mi-17 helicopters is a key part of our on-going strategy to hand over the security of Afghanistan to the Afghan people.”
But while stating the technical rationale for continuing to deal with Rosoboronexport, Miller made it easy to read between the Russia “reset” lines, stating plainly that dealing with the state arms firm that supplies Assad “supports the president’s continuing efforts to build improved relations with Russia.”
“That’s baloney, in my regard,” Cornyn said. “Our relationship with Russia is a one-sided relationship.”
The clearance on this one must come directly to the WH. No way Panetta and Clinton are going to approve the deal without approval from the top. Of course, with what we have seen of 0′s foreign policy who should be surprised? Ummm….no one I suppose.
Ms Johnson—excellent article. Keep up the good work. Your investigatory research sizzles!
“The gov’t is being outmaneuvered”
Not at all. The gov’t consists mainly of bank clerks and as most informed ppl know, the banksters like to back both sides in any dispute that involves profit from such as weapons sales. (Sold by the US to the brutal UAE dictatorship, 42 high tech anti missile systems.)
Also getting the armed forces as far from the US as possible in these troubled times when an insurgency could be triggered at any moment is not unwise from a bank clerk “representative” perspective as much of the forces could side with such a statement of nationalism and patriotism.
The entire foreign policy of this administration needs to be blocked including the “reset” with Russia. Why are we accomodating this backwater country who routinely violates human rights, spies on us, supports our enemies, and craps all over our friends at every opportunity. Putin is a dictator and Hillary and the State Department should be impeached for their conduct in the most disastrous, phony, ill conceived, and teasonous conduct over the past 3 years. These people have much to answer for.
The senate is already held in contempt by most of us for their incompetence. The best these cowards can do now if they want to do the right thing is to do nothing and fillibuster anything that this rougue regime attempts to do. I am referring to the Obama rogue regime by the way.
Hopefully we can take back this part of ocngress and begin to restore a foreign policy that actually stands for US values and uplifts the interest of our great country that this administration has gone to great lengths to degrade.
In March, Cornyn and Sens. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) led a letter to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta asking that U.S. taxpayers “not be put in a position where they are indirectly subsidizing the mass murder of Syrian civilians.”
“I remain deeply troubled that the DoD would knowingly do business with a firm that has enabled mass atrocities in Syria,”
The US being in the position of indirectly subsidizing mass murder of Syrian civilians by the MB, Al-Qaeda and Salafist radicals is OK though. What a joke.
This administration does seem to want to supply arms to Syria in somewhat of a fast & furious manner. Wonder if Holder’s in on this….Hitlery? Or is something of the ken that Obama and ONLY Obama can handle, what with his enormous intellect, speaking ability and masterful manipulation of people.
That previous article last week referencing “A Private Little War” seems so appropriate for this scenario as well.
OK: As my students would say I’m dumb stupid. Why are we buying Rusian Helicopters? What happened to Boeing,Sikorsky,Textron: I thought they made helocopters. Maybe Obama is against giving jobs to Americans.