Four F-16 fighter jets left the U.S. this morning, bound for Egypt as
part of a foreign aid package critics say should have been scrapped
when the nation elected a president who has called President Obama a
liar and urged that hatred of Jews be instilled in children.
A source who works on the Naval Air Force Base in Dallas confirmed
the departure of the state-of-the-art fighter planes to FoxNews.com.
Sixteen F-16s and 200 Abrams tanks are to be given to the Egyptian
government before the end of the year under a foreign aid deal signed in
2010 with then-Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, a longtime U.S. ally..
Critics, including several in Congress, say it doesn't make sense to
follow through with the package, given that new Egyptian President
Mohammed Morsi, elected last summer, has given decidedly mixed signals
about relations with the U.S. While he has toned down his rhetoric since
his election, in 2010 - the same year the aid package was struck -
Morsi attacked Obama for supporting Israel.
“One American president after another — and most recently, that Obama
— talks about American guarantees for the safety of the Zionists in
Palestine," Morsi, then a leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, said on
Egyptian television in reaction to Obama's 2009 speech in Cairo.
"[Obama] was very clear when he uttered his empty words on the land of
Egypt. He uttered many lies, of which he couldn’t have fulfilled a
single word, even if he were sincere — which he is not.”
In the comments translated by the Middle East Media Research Institute, Morsi went on to urge that children be taught to hate Jews.
“Dear brothers, we must not forget to nurse our children and
grandchildren on hatred towards those Zionists and Jews, and all those
who support them," he said. "They must be nursed on hatred. The hatred
must continue.”
Lawmakers told FoxNews.com that even if Morsi has softened his
stance, it makes no sense to arm his Islamist government with weapons
that could one day be used against Israel or even Egyptians.
“It is appalling that the Obama administration would send F-16s and
200 military tanks to Egypt in the wake of the instability, [and the]
anti-American and anti-Israel atmosphere," Rep. Louie Gohmert,
(R-Texas), told FoxNews.com.
The U.S. government ordered the planes or Egypt from Lockheed Martin in 2010, as part of an annual aid
package that regularly topped $1 billion. But the very next year, a
popular revolution began which ultimately resulted in Mubarak's ouster
and imprisonment, and the election of Morsi, a leader of the Muslim
Brotherhood. In November, Morsi tried to claim dictatorial powers, but
was forced to back down from his claim after massive protests against
the move.
Many worry that arming such a volatile Egypt will endanger Israel.
"My hope and prayer is that someone in this administration will wake
up and smell the burning of [Israel's] future and rescind the supply of
planes and tanks," Gohmert said. "If they do not, then perhaps there
will arise leaders within our Congress with newfound courage to stop the
lunacy."
Rep. Vern Buchanan, (R-Fla.), who recently called for ending foreign
aid to Egypt altogether, told FoxNews.com the Muslim Brotherhood-backed
Morsi government has been sending increasingly troubling signals to
Washington, and giving it state-of-the-art fighter jets is a dangerous
idea.
“American tax dollars must not be used to aid and abet any dictatorial regime that stands with terrorists,” Buchanan said.
Others note that Egypt's leaders could use the weapons on their own people.
"Tens of billions in U.S. aid has enhanced Cairo’s capacity for
internal repression," Malou Innocent, a foreign policy analyst at the
Cato Institute, told FoxNews.com.
"U.S. aid accounts for as much as 80%
of
the Egyptian Defense Ministry’s weapons procurement costs... In
essence, American taxpayers have been Egypt’s major arms supplier,
subsidizing the supply of F-16 jet fighters, M1A1 Abrams battle tanks,
armored personnel carriers, Apache helicopters, and hundreds of millions
of dollars in surplus military equipment."
The State Department did not respond to a request for comment about
the pending delivery. But earlier this month, a spokesperson said the
Obama administration seeks to “maintain a strategic partnership with
Egypt that enhances the security and peace of the region.”
But Anthony H. Cordesman, who has served as a consultant for the State
and Defense departments and who holds the Burke Chair in Strategy at the
Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the administration
is right to send the planes.
"If you were to suddenly end this partnership with Egypt -- if you were
to make Egypt feel that somehow it were not trusted or second-best, what
would the security implications be? It certainly would justify or
encourage all of the extremist elements that are trying to push Egypt
away from both the peace process and the security partnership with the
U.S.," he told FoxNews.com.
He said that the cost of providing the weapons is worth it.
"We need to remember that Egypt isn't just important to Israel. It is
critical to us, because it controls the Suez Canal. It has been a vital
staging point for U.S. operations in the gulf."
Cordesman argued that the F-16 fighter jets are unlikely to be turned
against us or our allies, as they are too complex to be used effectively
without U.S. maintenance.
"These weapons systems are certainly extremely effective, but no one can
sustain them unless that partnership with the United States continues,"
he said. "The modern software, the computer systems, the munitions that
make this weapons system so lethal -- other than us, there are no
alternative suppliers. There are European states who can provide parts
of the aircraft, but F-16s and most modern systems are basically
dependent on U.S. manufacturers."
"In some ways, the more sophisticated the system, the safer it is to
transfer," Cordesman said, while noting that there are still risks.
"There's no such thing as an arms transfer that is totally risk-free," he said.
According to a U.S. Air Force description, the planes'
"maneuverability and combat radius exceed that of all potential threat
fighter aircraft."
"The F-16 can fly more than 500 miles, deliver its weapons with
superior accuracy, defend itself against enemy aircraft, and return to
its starting point," the description states. "An all-weather capability
allows it to accurately deliver ordnance during non-visual bombing
conditions."
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