Saudi sale

The State Department has approved a possible $1.3 billion sale of air-to-ground munitions to Saudi Arabia, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency announced Monday.

The package includes more than 10,000 advanced munitions as well as associated equipment, parts and logistical support. DSCA notified Congress of the possible sale Nov. 16. If Congress approves the sale, the munitions would help boost the Royal Saudi Air force's weapons supply, which has been depleted due to ongoing counter-terrorism operations.

"The proposed sale augments Saudi Arabia's capability to meet current and future threats from political adversaries during combat operations," the DSCA notice states. "Providing these defense articles supports Saudi Arabian defense missions and promotes stability in the region."

Air Force acquisition executive William LaPlante said last week that international allies have expressed an increasing frustration with the U.S. government's foreign military sales process. That frustration, coupled with a growing urgency for munitions and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance support should be a concern to the United States, LaPlante said during a Nov. 13 Lexington Institute event on Capitol Hill.

"It's urgent because we have to ask ourselves: What do we want the Middle East to look like 10 years from now in terms of military capability?" LaPlante said. "I think it's as urgent an issue as anything else."