Bloated Israeli Arm Deals

NOTE: This thread was originally a weaponry one but I think it will receive more attention in this forum, if a moderator reads this I ask him to delete the original one.


If you thought that 5 or 6 Light Helicopters landing into the hands of criminals via Israel is shocking, as ATSNN does, then this might leave you a little more unsettled.

The following are excerpts from the 2002 Direct Commercial Sales (DCS): Transfers negotiated between the manufacturing company and the foreign buyer, and approved by the Department of State through the issuance of an export license.

Lets have a little itemized look at what we sell Israel on a given year.

ITEM QUANTITY VALUE $

Accelerometers 389 560,535
Artillery Fuses 5,930 268,037
Batteries 56 604,000
Binoculars 1,500 364,140
Camera Sets 5 235,000
Carbines (All Types) 1,585 1,783,030
Cartridges .22-.50Cal 10,003,000 787,647
Cartridges 20-40MM 57,685 1,939,995
Cartrides Impulse 20,000 3,010,572
Diesel Engines 20 1,272,544
Jet Engines F100 Series 59 250,000,000
FLIR Systems 26 1,467,235
Generators 1 195,000
Grenade Launchers 515 508,746
Gyroscopes 2,268 4,058,827
Image Intensifiers 520 2,011,923
Internal Navigation Systems 59 1,590,135
Infared Viewers 107 4,650,221
Klystrons 2 15,000
Machine Guns 1 3,000
Magnetrons 100 350,000
Navigation Systems 14 4,538,029
Oscillators 144 1,194,545
Pistols 5,374 1,623,605
Laser Range Finders 5 91,704
Receiver Sets 10 452,600
Receiver/Transmitters 61 1,722,008
Rifle (Non Military) 715 4,547,067
Rifle M-16s 7,996 7,153,526
Small Arms Parts 3 374,349
Telescopes 700 645,635
Transmitters 22 6,944,997
Traveling Wave Tubes 327 2,184,395


Country Total
$990,227,404

If Israel could misappropriate 5 helicopters, what are the chances they could lose any of these high impact weapons?

Jeez I hate hand copying PDF Files, my fingers are killing me. But my point is that these sales are bloated and not tactically sound. If we are so dedicated to winning the war on terrorism this billion dollars could be spent on human intelligence (spies) or better weapons platforms. It should not be used on paying for the Israeli military. Granted I admire the Israelies and I think they should have every right to defend themselves from Islamic Radicalism, but these sales are uneeded if this war is "really important.

Just My Two Cents.


Arms Sale Budget

Well, in relation to this thread:
Israeli IDF Helicopters Sold to Colombian Criminals

I am still alittle amiss on this, but I can see the possible problem of the misappropriation of '5' helicopters but the above list shows what Israel has bought directly from the supplying manufacturing companies.

As such, are you speculating that the monies spent to buy the above equipment, parts, and arms were from the monies recieved from the US?
I'm not sure that that would be a fully correct assumption without seeing 'the books' for what they are. The US gives assistance/financial aid in good faith.....and with that good faith, the US hopes that those who recieve such, will spend it in likewise good faith. IMHO, Israel has the right, just as any other nation recieving financial aid, to spend the monies as they see fit. We might not agree on just what they spend it on, but in that case, the US can review this and then choose to reduce or withdraw future financial aid, deeming that the funds are not going to what they were meant or intended for.
Israel is not the only one who recieves financial aid and then spends or diverts the funding to 'areas' that the funding was not meant or intended for.

Again, maybe I'm missing something here. Again, if I am, please inform me and I will try to answer or address.
If indeed the figures above are from previosu or current US financial aid, then the only alternative that the US can resort to is as I mentioned above...a review, as has been done here recently (concerning Israel and a reduction was made) would be in order.



seekerof

It looks as though they spent almost twice as much as Germany, but then Germany doesn't have as many hostiles on their borders.

fas.org...