House Of Representatives Votes To Stop Pentagon From Training Afghans To Fly Russian Helicopters

Press Release

The House of Representatives again made clear its objection to continued Pentagon purchases of helicopters from the Russian arms dealer Rosoboronexport for the Afghan Specialty Mission Wing. Last night's vote was 333 to 93 in support of an amendment by Representatives Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) and James Moran (D-VA). The amendment was included with the Fiscal Year 2014 Defense Department Appropriations Bill, due to be voted on later today.

The bipartisan amendment builds on a prohibition on further business with Rosoboronexport also included in the bill. It prohibits money made available in the bill from being used by the Defense Department (DOD) to train the Afghan Special Mission Wing to operate or maintain Russian-made Mi-17 helicopters. DOD is currently purchasing those Mi-17s from Rosoboronexport, the Russian state arms dealer that is also arming the Assad regime in Syria.

"Time and again, the Defense Department has ignored Congress's clear message that they need to stop purchasing helicopters from Rosoboronexport," DeLauro said. "They point to the 30 years of experience the Afghans have with the Mi-17 helicopters, yet as the Inspector General's report shows, the Afghans lack the capacity to use them. U.S. taxpayer money should be spent on American made systems, not subsidizing the Russian state arms dealer fueling the war in Syria."

Moran said: "I am proud to support Rep. DeLauro's amendment. The U.S. government should not be working with companies that supply arms to the murderous Syrian regime. The U.S. spent more than $550 million to purchase helicopters we now know only 7 Afghan pilots are fully mission qualified to fly. It is unacceptable to give the Russian Rosoboronexport firm one more dime of taxpayer funds."

DOD's most recent contract with Rosoboronexport came just days after the House of Representatives voted 423-0 on an amendment authored by DeLauro to strengthen the prohibition on Pentagon business with the firm. That prohibition is also included in the Fiscal Year 2014 Defense Department Appropriations Bill. And last month, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction issued a report recommending DOD suspend plans to purchase the Russian-made helicopters. The report called the deal highly imprudent, noting the Afghans do not have the capacity to use them.

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