A significant portion of the Trump administration’s $110 billion arms deal with Saudi Arabia includes billions of dollars worth of equipment that has already been approved by the State Department under the Obama administration, according to the Defense Security Cooperation Agency.
The State Department approved the kingdom’s purchase of Freedom-class littoral combat ships, Abrams battle tanks, Chinook cargo helicopters, and a range of missiles and other ammunition between 2013 and January that will go forward as part of the deal announced by Trump, the agency said.
The arms deal signed Saturday by President Trump and Saudi Arabia’s King Salman is potentially worth much more — $110 billion immediately and a total of $350 billion over a decade — and is a significant expansion of the security relationship with the U.S.’s longtime ally.
Here are the sales already approved by the State Department:
- $11.25 billion for four of the littoral combat ships and over 500 Sea Sparrow missiles
- $6.8 billion for over 3,100 missiles and bombs
- $1.15 billion for 133 M1A2S Abrams battle tanks and Hercules armored recovery vehicles
- $525 million for Aerostat surveillance blimps
- $500 million in ammunition
Beyond that, however, it still wasn’t clear on Monday what was in the remaining $86 billion announced by Trump.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the arms will help Saudi Arabia make more accurate military strikes against Iran-backed rebels in Yemen, after criticism that the kingdom has killed civilians in the proxy war.
Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner, helped negotiate the agreement and personally contacted Lockheed Martin CEO Marillyn Hewson in an attempt to get prices down for the Saudis, according to media reports.
Sales to Saudi Arabia will focus on cybersecurity, missile defense, modernization of its air force, maritime security, and counterterrorism, the DSCA said in its release.
