U.S. Gulf Arms Sale Strategy as Geopolitical Counter To Iran

The State Department and the Pentagon are quietly seeking congressional approval for significant new military sales to US allies in the Persian Gulf region. The move is part of a broader American strategy to contain Iranian influence by strengthening Iran's neighbors and signaling that the United States is still a strong military player in the Middle East, despite all the difficulties in Iraq. ...

Senior US officials have been tight-lipped in public about what systems they hope to sell, citing the need to get congressional support for the measure first and skittishness among Arab allies that don't want the publicity. Current and former US officials and analysts familiar with the discussions say items under consideration include sophisticated air and missile defense systems, advanced early warning radar aircraft that could detect low-flying missiles, and light coastal combat ships that could sweep the Gulf for mines and help gather underwater intelligence. ...

The current arms sale proposals grew out of a diplomatic effort launched last May called the "Gulf Security Dialogue," in which US officials sought to suggest ways to bolster the defenses of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Oman. ...

Michael Knights, a fellow for the Washington Institute for Near East Policy who has worked with the Defense Department on military "lessons learned" research in Iraq, said much of the negotiations on arms sales in the Gulf this past year has focused on selling the Royal Saudi Navy new Littoral Combat Ships. The small, lightly armed coastal defense ship, produced in Bath, Maine, could be equipped to sweep for mines in the Gulf and could work with unmanned undersea vehicles to conduct underwater surveillance.

Another item believed to be under consideration is Northrop Grumman's E-2D Hawkeye 2000, an early warning aircraft that the United Arab Emirates tried to acquire in 2003 to bolster its air force. The US Navy refused at the time to allow the sale of necessary communications software, so the deal fell through. But last month, Defense News, a trade publication, reported that it may now be revived. ...

Some analysts suggested that any arms sales will be merely symbolic, since none of the Gulf states have militaries capable of driving off an Iranian attack by themselves.