$2 Billion In Arms Sales to Iraq?

Amid the most deadly month in Iraq in five years, the Pentagon notified Congress last week that it is nearing three deals with the government of Iraq worth nearly $2 billion that would provide military equipment, maintenance, training and general support.

With a $900 million price tag, the largest of the three Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) requests submitted to Congress would provide a package of 50 Stryker vehicles produced by General Dynamics, as well as additional equipment, parts, training and logistical support to provide the Iraqi Army with “reliable capabilities” for detecting “early warning of contamination by radiological, biological, and chemical material.”

However, what may seem like timely military support might actually be a mismatch of a remedy that doesn’t address the most immediate problem Iraq faces. Providing approximately $1 billion in military equipment and training to address chemical and biological agents when the Iraqi army appears to be  overwhelmed by a wave of bombings, IEDs attacks and shootings that have resulted in more than 900 Iraqi deaths raises the question of whether the sale addresses Iraq’s current needs. Read more...