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The U.S. War Industry Raked in $5+ Billion Worth of Foreign Military Sales in June 2018

27-7-2018 < Boiling Frogs Post 135 1650 words
 

The U.S. war industry raked in $5,408,112,575 worth of foreign military sales (FMS) during June 2018. Notable items included $1.12 billion worth of Lockheed Martin F-16 aircraft for Bahrain and $1.5 billion worth of Boeing F-18 aircraft for Kuwait. Educating ourselves about the U.S. war industry is one step towards reclaiming our democracy.


FMS SOUTH AMERICA


Textron received $36 million to provide Argentina with four T-6C+ aircraft. This includes maintenance, contractors, and pilot training. There has been an uptick in FMS to Argentina since President Macri took power at the end of 2015. Macri cares nothing of the Argentinian people; he spends millions on foreign weapons while enforcing austerity measures at home. U.S. weaponry sold to Argentina during the Macri tenure has included: L-3 logistics support for invasive C-12 aircraft; Textron helicopters; Honeywell auxiliary power units; and more T-6+ aircraft. Textron will likely sell more aircraft to Argentina, since the original FMS approval was for 24 aircraft worth $300 million, and less than 10 have been sold so far.


FMS FAR EAST


The U.S. war industry profits from high tensions between Japan and China, South Korea and North Korea, and Taiwan and China, among other Far East nations. Without tensions, military provocations, and endless wars (in the case of Korea), the U.S. war industry would lose out on billions in annual sales and Wall Street would lose one of its most lucrative sectors.


Aviation Ground Equipment Corp. received $11.6 million for static frequency converters for various aircraft for the U.S. Navy and Japan. Boeing received $14 million for upgrading Japan’s mission computers, presumably for Boeing’s E-3 Sentry aircraft. Northrop Grumman received $153.2 million for one Japan-configuration E-2D aircraft.


Bell & Boeing received funding to provide Japan with V-22 aircraft (4 aircraft worth $230,285,600). Bell & Boeing received $13.6 million for modifications and engineering on Japan’s V-22 aircraft, especially the paint scheme.


BAE Systems received $83.6 million for Assault Amphibious Vehicles (AAV). This FMS to Taiwan was conducted through the Taipei Economic Cultural Representative Office (TECRO).


Boeing received $1.1 million for engineering services on AN/USQ-82(V) [.pdf] for FMS (Japan, Australia, South Korea). Communications & Power Industries received $14.2 million for continuous-wave illuminator traveling wave tubes. These are microwave tubes installed in the fire control system on board Aegis-equipped cruisers and destroyers. Involves FMS to Japan, Australia, and South Korea. Lockheed Martin received $39.1 million for Aegis development and operation & maintenance of test sites for Japan, Australia, and South Korea.


FMS UNSPECIFIED


The Pentagon has many techniques to avoid disclosing the recipient of U.S. war industry weaponry. One way, featured below, is to simply not state the name of the recipient nation in contract announcements. Another way is to classify the entire FMS transaction, thereby keeping all information away from the U.S. public. A third way is to parse a given FMS transaction into installments below $7 million, thereby skirting rules that require transactions over $7 million to be release to the public.


In June 2018, Boeing received over $1.5 billion for system configuration sets and associated services for F/A-18 and EA-18G aircraft for U.S. Navy and unspecified FMS. I did not add this contract to the FMS total, because it does not specify the amounts allocated among the nations involved.


Harris Corp. received $400 million for FMS (unnamed): Advanced Integrated Defensive Electronic Warfare Suite [.pdf] production requirements. L-3 received $83 million for FMS (unnamed): two Gulfstream G550 aircraft. General Dynamics typically manufactures the body of the Gulfstream G550, and L-3 typically packs the interior of the aircraft with communications and SIGINT equipment. Other General Dynamics G550 aircraft are used to transport proud U.S. military generals, uppity members of the Senior Executive Service (SES), and other entitled persons.


FMS BUNDLES


BAE Systems received over $48 million to sustain radar warning receivers for USAF and FMS (South Korea, Taiwan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, India, France, Italy, Oman, Norway, Australia, Qatar, Canada).


General Dynamics received $149.1 million for FMS (Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Kenya, Jordan, Nigeria, Qatar): various rockets, warheads, motors, and components.


Intuitive Research & Technology Corp. received $8 million for USA and FMS (Egypt, Finland, India, Indonesia, Qatar): technical support services for Cruise Missile Defense systems.


Kaman Precision Products received $22.9 million for joint programmable fuzes (FMU-52.pdf). FMS (Netherlands, Qatar, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Nigeria, Indonesia, UAE, Taiwan, South Korea).


Kilgore Flares received $31.7 million for FMS (Kuwait, Romania, Pakistan): infrared countermeasures flares.


Raytheon received $80.2 million for software development and system integrity services in support of F/A-18A-D and E/F for U.S. Navy, Australia, Canada, Kuwait, and Switzerland.


FMS EUROPE


AECOM-Baker JV, Bryan International, and Oxford Construction of Pennsylvania received a shared $148.5 million for construction services in Israel. (Issued via the USACE branch in Wiesbaden, Germany.) Martin-Baker Aircraft Co. received roughly $1 million for explosive cartridges used in ejection seats in F-35 aircraft. FMS: South Korea, Israel, Japan. Israel falls under U.S. European Command (USEUCOM) area of operations. This makes sense, as many of the Zionist colonists that have taken over Palestine hail from European countries. Israel also plays basketball in the European league. Pentagon generals claim that placing Israel in USEUCOM is designed to forestall or placate Arab complaints about U.S. bias toward Israel.


DynCorp International received $62,441,808 for USA and FMS (Croatia): aviation field maintenance in Afghanistan and Iraq. Lockheed Martin received $364.6 million to extend the life of U.S. and Romanian Army Tactical Missiles (ATACMS) and launching assemblies. The U.S. war industry has drawn Romania closer in recent years, even succeeding in stationing Raytheon SM-3 missiles and Lockheed Martin radar systems in Deveselu. Other subcontractors involved in this effort include Honeywell, Northrop Grumman (Orbital ATK), and many corrupt U.S. academic institutions like JHU APL.


RAM-System received €79,500,000 [$92,800,000] to provide Germany with Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) launching systems (GMLS), hardware, and spares. The Pentagon has many tricks to avoid competitive bidding processes. One of them, used here, is 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(4), which allows non-competitive bidding if an international agreement deems it appropriate.


Raytheon received $7.74 million for NATO communication security (COMSEC) units to be used in certain datalinks favored by foreign allies of the U.S. war industry. SAIC received $2.27 million for torpedo components for Turkey.


FMS U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND


Boeing received $179 million for FMS (Kuwait): system configuration sets for F/A-18E/F software development, modification, integration, testing, and support. Boeing received $1.5 billion for FMS (Kuwait): 22 F/A-18E and six F/A-18F. Harris Corp. received $2.3 million for FMS (Kuwait): digital map computers for H-1 helicopters and F-18 aircraft, and extension housings for aircraft. Integral Aerospace received funding for external fuel tanks for F/A-18E/F and EA-18G in support of Kuwait (92 tanks worth $11,276,260).


Lebanon pops up annually in U.S. foreign military sales. Zionist pressure within the U.S. State Department and the Pentagon does not permit Lebanon to purchase any weaponry (of adequate type or sufficient quantity) from the U.S. war industry that could pose even a remote threat to the Zionist Entity’s regional dominance. In June 2018, Boeing (Insitu) received $8.2 million to provide Lebanon with six ScanEagle unmanned aircraft systems. This includes support equipment, training, site activation, and help making sense of the data gathered. Medico Industries received $35.5 million for FMS (Bosnia & Herzegovina and Lebanon): 120mm high explosives, practice charges, smoke shell bodies; and fuze adapters.


Lockheed Martin received two installments (1, 2) of $86.7 million and received $85.7 million to support the Iraqi Air Force with logistics and technical assistance at Martyr Mohammed Ala Air Base. This involves ground equipment, spares, repairs, and training on Iraq’s six C-130J aircraft. Sale of U.S. weaponry to Baghdad is an intended consequence of the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Why did the U.S. war industry lobby so hard for war against Iraq? Because war is profit, and the sale of weaponry to allied governments is a major goal of the U.S. war industry. It’s all a racket. Iraqi government officials can’t keep the power on, but they somehow find enough money to purchase weaponry every month from the U.S. war industry. Neither D.C. nor Baghdad cares about the people.


Lockheed Martin received $1.6 million for Autonomic Logistics Information System (ALIS) 3.0 software fleet release and installation. The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is the most expensive weapons system in the history of the world. Just as Google uses its market dominance to favor its preferred search engine, Lockheed Martin exploits its industry position to favor its preferred maintenance product. Capitalism is as capitalism does.


L-3 received $7 million to upgrade Pakistan’s F-16A aircrew training devices. MD Helicopter Inc. received $38.4 million for FMS (Afghanistan): support system readiness, management, repair, total asset visibility, engineering support, spares procurement, failure reporting, and maintenance support. Notice the many different categories through which the war industry is able to make money. U.S. war corporations don’t just provide maintenance. They craft and then exploit numerous additional, profitable categories of service.


Lockheed Martin received $1.12 billion for FMS (Bahrain): sixteen F-16 aircraft.


Lockheed Martin received $288.3 million for USA and FMS (UAE): Modernized Target Acquisition Designation Sight/Pilot Night Vision Sensor (M-TADS/PNVS), subcomponent production, and technical services (for AH-64 attack helicopters).


Raytheon received $49.4 million for Qatar Air & Missile Defense Operation Center (ADOC) support.


War is profit. Only a concerted effort of education, awareness, and action will change this miserable status quo.


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Christian Sorensen, a Newsbud Contributing Author & Analyst, is a U.S. military veteran.


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