Overnight Defense & National Security — UAE halts weapons sale talks with US

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The United Arab Emirates is suspending discussions with the United States over a $23 billion weapons deal. 

More on that, plus the U.S. deepening its military and economic ties in the Indo-Pacific.

For The Hill, I’m Jordan Williams. Write to me with tips at jwilliams@digital-staging.thehill.com

Let’s get to it.

F-35 jet deal suspended by UAE

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A UAE official told Reuters that “technical requirements, sovereign operational restrictions, and cost/benefit analysis led to the re-assessment of the deal.”  

“The U.S. remains the UAE’s preferred provider for advanced defense requirements and discussions for the F-35 may be re-opened in the future,” the official told Reuters.

The Wall Street Journal first reported the move. 

About the deal: The $23 billion deal, which was officially approved in November 2020, includes 50 F-35 Lightning II aircraft, as many as 18 MQ-9B unmanned aerial systems, and air-to-air and air-to-ground projectiles.

The State Department paused the sale in January so that it could review the package. In April, the agency decided to move forward, arguing that there would be enough time to address any outstanding concerns because it would be years before the weapons were delivered.  

The Journal previously reported in May that U.S. officials grew worried that the weapons sale could be impacted by the UAE’s growing ties to China, which sparked concerns that Abu Dhabi might allow China to access the technology.

Meanwhile, the deal has faced criticism from Democrats over the UAE’s conduct in Yemen and Libya.

The State Department’s Response: “The Biden-Harris Administration remains committed to the proposed sales of F-35 aircraft, the MQ-9B, and munitions even as we continue consultations to ensure that we have a clear, mutual understanding of Emirati obligations and actions before, during, and after delivery,” the State Department said in a statement. 

“We are hopeful that we can work through any outstanding issues, and we look forward to the U.S.-UAE Joint Military Dialogue later this week,” the agency continued. 

Both Kirby and the White House referred specific questions on the suspension to the State Department

Upcoming talks at the Pentagon: The U.S. and UAE are expected to begin talks at the Pentagon this week over the scope of the nations’ defense relations. 

Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said that the meeting would still happen, and anticipated that the deal would come up.

“The U.S. partnership with the UAE is more strategic and more complex than any one weapon sale,” Kirby said.

Read the full story here

US expanding ties in the Indo-Pacific

 

Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday spoke on how the U.S. will be expanding its military and economic presence in the Indo-Pacific region to advance what he called a shared vision of a “free and open Indo-Pacific.” 

Blinken gave an address in Jakarta, Indonesia, at Universitas Indonesia. In his speech, Blinken laid out five goals the U.S. has for its involvement in the region: advancing a free and open Indo-Pacific; establishing stronger relations with neighboring countries like Australia, Japan and South Korea; promoting prosperity; building resilience; and bolstering security.

“Threats are evolving. Our security approach has to evolve with them. We’ll seek closer civilian security cooperation to tackle challenges ranging from violent extremism, to illegal fishing, to human trafficking,” said Blinken. “And we’ll adopt a strategy that more closely weaves together all our instruments of national power — diplomacy, military, intelligence — with those of our allies and our partners.

An aggressive China: In giving his remarks, Blinken highlighted concerns about China’s “aggressive actions,” which he said includes claiming open seas as their own and engaging in unregulated fishing activities. 

“We’re determined to ensure freedom of navigation in the South China Sea, where Beijing’s aggressive actions there threaten the movement of more than $3 trillion worth of commerce every year,” he said. 

Asked about Blinken’s speech, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin told reporters that the US should “ earnestly respect the [Association of Southeast Asian Nations]-centered regional cooperation architecture, instead of drawing ideological lines, creating small cliques and inciting bloc confrontation.” 

 “What the US did to incite division, estrangement and confrontation is not welcome in the world, nor will it work in the Asia-Pacific region,” Wenbin said.

Read the full story here

Afghan family condemn lack of punishment

 

The family members of the 10 Afghan civilians killed in a botched U.S. drone strike in August said Tuesday they are frustrated and upset that no U.S. service members involved in the mistake will be punished.

The Pentagon said Monday that no military personnel were involved in the Aug. 29 incident that killed seven children.  

Three brothers of Zemerai Ahmadi — a longtime aid worker who was killed along with nine relatives when a hellfire missile struck his car — told The Associated Press that no one from the U.S. government has reached out since the tragedy

What the Pentagon has promised Defense officials have promised financial compensation for the family and to help evacuate them, but the brothers say the help hasn’t materialized. 

On Monday, press secretary John Kirby said the U.S. is still willing to give financial compensation to the Ahmadis and potentially help them get out of Afghanistan, but is moving slowly to do it safely.

“With respect to an ex-gratia payment, which we are absolutely willing to make, we want to make sure that we do it in the most safe and responsible way so that we know it’s getting to the right people and only to the right people,” Kirby told reporters.

But Romal Ahmadi, whose three children aged 2 to 7 years were killed in the episode, told the AP he wants the U.S. service members responsible for the accident to face punishment.

“But America is a superpower,” Romal said, according to the AP. “We are powerless to do anything so we leave it to God to punish them.”

Read the full story here

ON TAP FOR TOMORROW

• The Potomac Officers Club will host “Air Force IT Modernization and Digital Transformation Forum” at 8 a.m. 

• The National Committee on North Korea will host “Can We Convince North Korea to Denuclearize when East Asia is in an Arms Race?” at 9 a.m. 
• The Washington Space Business Roundtable will host “Second Year Anniversary of the Space Force:  Progress to Date, Outstanding Challenges, and Role of Space Industry” at 12 p.m. 
• The Mitchell Institute will host “The National Nuclear Security Administration: Deterring Nuclear Aggression and Preventing Nuclear Proliferation—A Personal Perspective on NNSA’s Past, Present & Future” at 2 p.m.

WHAT WE’RE READING

• Air Force discharges 27 people for refusing COVID-19 vaccine
• Cruz offers to swap Nord Stream 2 sanctions vote for ambassador nominees
• Kremlin says Putin, Xi to highlight ‘aggressive’ US, NATO rhetoric
• NATO dismisses Russian accusation surrounding nuclear missile deployment
• The Hill Opinion: Congress must fund research on military families– including the Reserve and Guard

That’s it for today. Check out The Hill’s defense and national security pages for the latest coverage. See you Wednesday.