Free Republic

Egypt Eyes New Arms Suppliers Written by Arieh O’Sullivan Published Tuesday, September 27, 2011 With U.S. military aid threatened, Cairo looks to put eggs elsewhere The new Egyptian regime in Cairo is beefing up its defense procurement ties with Europe and elsewhere after years of nearly total dependency on the U.S. for its weaponry and aircraft. The Egyptian Air Force this week took delivery of its first Airbus Military C295 transport aircraft, one of three ordered from the European aircraft manufacturer. Cairo has also reportedly decided to purchase naval vessels and unmanned aerial aircraft from Turkey in the wake of...

After Osama: Stop feeding the beast Bin Laden's discovery in a wealthy suburb of Abbottabad raises questions over US military funding to Pakistan. Leila Hudson After years of former Pakistani military dictator General Musharraf assuring the world that bin Laden was either dead or in Afghanistan, he was found and dispatched by US special forces in the town of Abbottabad, a mere 30 miles - 50km - as the crow flies from the capital Islamabad. Abbottabad is a colonial era army "cantonment" or garrison town and home to the Pakistan Military Academy PMA Kakul, less than two miles from the...

Israel should give up US military aid It would be wise for Israel to take the initiative, before Tea Party Republicans make a move. 19 January 11 15:06, Ran Dagoni, Washington The time has come to bid goodbye to the military aid that the US extends to Israel, that generous package (currently worth $3 billion) that enables the Israeli taxpayer to share the cost of procuring equipment for the IDF with the US taxpayer. Israel should itself initiate the process of detachment from the Washington breast. It should be done gradually, on terms that will enable Israel to wean itself...

Give more military assistance to Pakistan: Powell to US Agencies Posted online: Tue Nov 16 2010, 21:43 hrs Washington : With the world's most wanted terrorist Osama bin Laden still elusive, the Obama administration must give Pakistan Army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani adequate mobility or intelligence capability he needs to win the war against terror, former US Secretary of State Colin Powell has said. Powell, who recently met Kayani at his home, said the Pakistani Army chief was facing a tough task in the war against terror along the Pak-Afghan border. "He's got a tough problem. This is the...

U.S. offers Israel warplanes in return for new settlement freeze Netanyahu presents security cabinet with Clinton's incentive of 20 F-35 fighter planes and security guarantees in exchange for 90-day West Bank building moratorium. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's seven-member inner cabinet discussed Saturday an offer by the United States to reinstate a freeze on West Bank Settlement construction in return for a package of incentives. Netanyahu presented Saturday the U.S. offer, which was discussed by Netanyahu and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Thursday, to the forum of seven. According to the offer Israel would stop construction in the West...

Pakistan gets F-16s on stiff conditions ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, June 15 (UPI) -- Days after the United States and India concluded what was billed a strategic dialogue, a senior U.S. State Department official said Washington would press ahead with plans to supply Pakistan with combat aircraft. Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Robert Blake said the move was intended to intensify joint efforts to crack down on militants acting with impunity along the country's borders with Afghanistan. He also underscored the significance of the supply, saying it reflected a changing nature in bilateral defense ties. "We have had...