Via TOI:
The United States is seeking to finalize arms deals worth tens of billions of dollars with Saudi Arabia ahead of US President Donald Trump’s visit to Riyadh later this month, Reuters reported Friday.
Trump is due to arrive in Saudi Arabia in late May as part of his first foreign trip since becoming US president, after which he will visit Israel. He is also set to travel to the Vatican, as well as NATO and G7 summits in Brussels and Sicily.
The proposed weapons contracts are said to include the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense anti-missile system (THAAD), which costs $1 billion and was recently deployed by the US in South Korea to defend against the threat of North Korean missiles.
Also being discussed as part of the package are the Bradley Fighting Vehicle and the M109 artillery piece, as well as the Littoral Combat Ship, according to Reuters.
In addition, some $1 billion-worth of munitions are said to be part of the deal, including armor-piercing warheads and laser-guided bombs.
A weapons deal of this magnitude would need the approval of Congress, which is legally required to ensure that any potential weapons sales do not erode Israel’s Qualitative Military Edge.