Black Friday has passed, but the holidays are upon us and shopping days are increasingly few. Having a hard time finding the perfect gift for that tiny emirate hoping to psych out Iran or the large NATO ally looking to fight terrorism in Iraq? Fortunately for you, WikiLeaks has revealed the number one item atop seemingly everybody’s wish list: drones.
Only a select few close American allies have the export-restricted Predator B (a.k.a. MQ-9 Reaper) armed drones, but that hasn’t stopped countries from the United Arab Emirates to Turkey from pestering & pleading with America to sell them the shiniest new toy, the WikiLeaks document show.
The United Arab Emirates, a tiny nation of 5 million already protected by a U.S. military presence in the country, has been looking to purchase only the latest and greatest military technology for a while now, outbuying Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia and Taiwan to become the American military’s top buyer last fiscal year. The WikiLeaks documents show that in 2007, UAE officials pressed then Air Force chief of staffGeneral Michael Moseley and then Central Command chief General John Abizaid during official visits to sell them the armed Predator B drone as part of their shopping spree.
When told they might have to wait for a review of the Missile Technology Control Regime’s (MTCR) control list, the voluntary international agreement the United States uses to restrict the sale of missile technologies, including armed drones, the UAE demanded to be the first kid on the block with a Predator B. Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, warned that Iran doesn’t have to wait for any damned MTCR because it’s making its own drones. ”That’s why we need it first . . . give me Predator B,” Zayed told Gen. Abizaid.
Ever since Turkey began attacking terrorists from the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) across the border in Iraq, the United States has been keen to keep Turkey from taking matters into its own hands and outright invading Iraq. To do that, the military has been providing the Turks with intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance from its drones in northern Iraq — and got the Turks hooked on them. In a meeting with Defense Secretary Bob Gates, Turkish Chief of the Turkish General Staff General Ilker Basbug cited the American drone assistance as key to their fight against the PKK and needled Gates about Turkey’s outstanding and “urgent” request for the armed Predator B drone to make up for the decreasing U.S. presence in Iraq.
Gates has told the Turks that the administration supports the sale of armed Predator drones to Turkey, in addition to other unarmed surveilance drones. But, again, there’s a waiting list. With growing concerns in Congress about Turkey’s orientation towards political Islam, its relatively warmer relationship with Iran and colder relationship with Israel following the Turkish flotilla incident, the State Department has warned that the purchasing process promises to be “long and complex.”
Whether it’s Tickle Me Elmo or the first Nintendo Wiis, there’s always a waiting list for the newest toys, drones included.
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