Obama releases weapons to Egypt
Military assistance was halted in 2013
WASHINGTON – The White House, which halted weapons transfers to Egypt in mid-2013 to protest a military takeover and harsh political crackdown there, reversed course Tuesday and announced a quick infusion of military aid to help Cairo respond to the mounting turmoil in the Middle East.
With Cairo increasingly involved in the region’s growing conflicts, President Barack Obama approved the release of a dozen F-16 fighter jets, 20 Harpoon anti-ship missiles and up to 125 M1A1 Abrams tank kits that were held from delivery after the Egyptian military overthrew the elected government.
In a phone call with President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, Obama also said he would seek to restore $1.3 billion in annual U.S. military assistance for Egypt, second only to Israel, according to Bernadette Meehan, spokeswoman for the National Security Council.
Meehan said in a statement that the White House is not certifying that Egypt has made progress toward democracy. But she said release of the weapons is in U.S. national security interest because of the growing threat from Islamic extremists.
“These measures put our assistance programs more in line with current core U.S. priorities,” Meehan said.
The weapons transfers, as well as other moves to bolster U.S. support for Cairo, are aimed at easing strained relations with a longtime regional ally and the Arab world’s most populous nation.
Egypt has sent warships and other support to back Saudi Arabia’s airstrikes against Iran-backed Houthi rebels that have overrun much of Yemen, and has said it may send ground troops if necessary.
Cairo also is weighing intervention in neighboring Libya, where Islamic State militants recently beheaded 21 Egyptian laborers. Most were Christian Copts.
The White House said future security aid to Egypt will be channeled into four categories: counterterrorism, border security, maritime security and Sinai security, plus support for weapons systems it already has.
But starting in fiscal year 2018, after Obama leaves office, the U.S. will stop Egypt’s use of “cash flow financing,” a financial mechanism that enables Cairo to purchase military hardware on credit. Israel is the only other nation given that credit.