WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has approved $8.6 billion in “emergency” arm sales to Israel, Qatar, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, in a move that seems to move around congressional review requirements.
The potential deals, announced late Friday, all include similar language describing the decision: “The Secretary of State has determined and provided detailed justification that an emergency exists that requires the immediate sale to [the recipient] of the above defense articles and defense services is in the national security interests of the United States, thereby waiving the Congressional review requirements.”
The State Department did not respond to questions about why it issued the emergency notices.
The announcements, issued in the form of congressional notifications from the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), are not final. Quantities and dollar totals often shift during negotiations.
The sales as announced:
- Qatar was approved to spend $4.01 billion replenishing its Patriot air and missile defense systems with 200 Phased Array Tracking Radars, along with Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) Missile Segment Enhancement missiles and PAC-2 rounds.
- Kuwait was approved to spend $2.5 billion for the Integrated Battle Command System, developed by Northrop Grumman, that could include six dismounted IBCS engagement operations centers and two hosted centers.
- Israel was approved to buy 1,000 Advanced Precision Kill Weapon Systems (APKWS), a precision-guided interceptor that can be used against drones, small aircraft, and cruise missiles, for $992.4 million.
- Qatar could spend $992.4 million on 10,000 APKWS rounds.
- The UAE was approved to spend $147.6 million on 1,500 APKWS guidance sections and other equipment.
“This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a major non-NATO ally that has been an important force for political stability and economic progress in the Middle East,” the State Department added.
Friday night’s announcements came 60 days after the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran, and US lawmakers are closely following drops to US weapon stockpiles and the cost of ongoing operations.
