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Letter to the Hon. Mark Esper, Secretary of the U.S. Dept. of Defense - In Letter To Esper, Kaine Calls For Briefing On Saudi Arabia Troop Increase

Letter

By: Tim Kaine
By: Tim Kaine
Date: Nov. 26, 2019
Location: Washington D.C.
Issues: Military Personnel Foreign Affairs

Dear Secretary Esper:

I write to request a classified briefing on the Department of Defense's mission and force posture in Saudi Arabia. The President's letter to Congress dated November 19, submitted in accordance with the requirements of the War Powers Resolution, stated additional U.S. forces would be sent to Saudi Arabia "to improve defenses against air and missile threats in the region."

Despite objections by Congress, this Administration has continued to export advanced military weapons and capabilities to Saudi Arabia stating it was necessary to "deter further Iranian adventurism in the Gulf and throughout the Middle East." Saudi Arabia has a robust air defense capability that includes nearly two-hundred advanced fighter aircraft as a result of the sale of U.S. equipment. It is unclear what defensive capability the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia cannot address without additional U.S. forces, specifically the two fighter squadrons mentioned in the November 19 letter. Therefore, I request a classified briefing address the following:

1. Assessment of equipment sold to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia through foreign military sales and their ability to address "air and missile threats in the region."
2. Explanation of the command structure and mission of U.S. military forces in Saudi Arabia.
3. Rationale for the additional two U.S. fighter squadrons, to include assessment of what air defense capability gaps exist with fighter aircraft operated by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
4. Detailed explanation and justification for any air-to-ground weapons that will be prepositioned in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for potential carriage or employment by the two fighter squadrons referenced in the November 19 letter.
5. Have there been any changes, or planned changes, to the November 2018 policy decision by the Department of Defense to halt refueling of Saudi Arabia aircraft conducting operations in Yemen?
6. A listing and explanation of all special access and compartmented programs that involve the Department of Defense's capabilities or personnel located, or planned to be located, in Saudi Arabia.


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