Supervisor Elham AbolFateh
Editor in Chief Mohamed Wadie

Analysis: Implications of US Arms Sale to Egypt


Thu 27 Jan 2022 | 01:17 PM

The approval of the US State Department on a potential arms deal to Egypt, with a total value of more than $2.5 billion, is a slap to all who question the strength of the strategic relations between Washington and Cairo.

The approval includes two arms deals, the first worth $2.2 billion for C-130 Super Hercules aircraft and related equipment, and the second, worth $355 million, for three SBS-48 ground-based radars, spare parts, generators and related equipment, as well as training to use air defense radar.

Analysis: Implications of US Arms Sale to Egypt

This is not the first approval in the Joe Biden administration. Last February, the US State Department announced its approval of an arms deal to Egypt, including tactical missiles, worth $197 million.

In a statement at the time, the State Department said the potential deal "will support the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to improve the security of a major non-NATO ally," CNN reported.

The State Department said that it will support the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to improve the security of a major non-NATO ally that remains an important strategic partner in the Middle East, and that the two deals will improve Egypt's ability to confront current and future threats, and thus enhance its capacity on the security and humanity scenes.

In a related context, German arms exports to Egypt reached record levels in 2021, as Egypt imported about €4.34 billion of military goods, out of the €9.35 billion exported by the Berlin government to other countries across the world, according to official figures.

It's noteworthy that, Egypt recently has published the lengthy rights strategy, appointed a national human rights council and lifted a state of emergency in place since 2017.