The US and Saudi Arabia signed arms deals worth almost $110bn on the first trip of President Donald Trump’s visit to this nation.
The deal came at the start of Trump’s eight-day foreign tour that will also take him to Jerusalem, the Vatican and meetings with leaders in Europe.
Trump was awarded the Collar of Abdulaziz Al Saud, Saudi Arabia’s highest civilian honour.
The agreement, which is worth $350 billion over 10 years and $110 billion that will take effect immediately.
This package of defense equipment and services support the long-term security of Saudi Arabia and the Gulf region in the face of Iranian threats, while also bolstering the Kingdom’s ability to contribute to counter terrorism operations across the region, reducing the burden on the U.S. military to conduct those operations.
When completed, the $110 billion agreement with Saudi Arabia will be “the largest single arms deal in American history.
The arms deal runs the gamut of offensive and defensive equipment that can be used by Saudi Arabia in a range of environments, including on the cybersecurity and counterterrorism fronts.
This package is threat-based and provides full-spectrum capabilities, which fall broadly into five categories: border security and counterterrorism; maritime and coastal security; air force modernization; air and missile defense; and cybersecurity and communications upgrade.
Combined, it will significantly augment the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s capabilities to help deter regional threats and the Kingdom’s ability to protect its borders and contribute to coalition counterterrorism operations.
On the counterterror front, the United States will provide aerostats, tanks, artillery, counter-mortar radars, armored personnel carriers, helicopters, and an array of training for Saudi forces battling terrorists and other foreign enemies.
A preliminary deal worth $ 6 billion to assemble 150 Lockheed Martin Blackhawk helicopters in Saudi Arabia was separately announced at the Saudi-US CEO Forum held in Riyadh.
The programme to support the final assembly and completion of an estimated 150 S-70 Black Hawk utility helicopters will support around 450 jobs in the kingdom.
The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said in its report that Saudi Arabia last year was the world’s fourth-largest military spender, spending $ 63.7 billion.