Egypt
Two recent news reports from Middle East News Line (MENL) about Egypt should be read together for effect:
1) EGYPT MULLS DEFENSE DEALS WITH FRANCE
2) EGYPT REQUESTS ADDITIONAL WEAPONS FROM U.S.
Two recent news reports from Middle East News Line (MENL) about Egypt should be read together for effect:
1) EGYPT MULLS DEFENSE DEALS WITH FRANCE
2) EGYPT REQUESTS ADDITIONAL WEAPONS FROM U.S.
The practical reasons are clear. France is determined to reenter the Middle East arms market and is likely to sell Egypt systems that the U.S. would not for fear of changing the military balance between it and Israel. France recently signed military accords with Libya and Yemen, and plans one with Algeria. The new French-Egyptian military cooperation agreement will enable joint naval and ground forces training.
As for Egypt’s request of the U.S., it appears Cairo has taken seriously U.S. concerns about the lack of democracy in Egypt and generally unhelpful Egyptian behavior in the Middle East. The government fears the U.S. government will restrict future sales – or perhaps turn parts of the current military assistance into civilian economic aid. The Egyptian military wants to get what it can while it still can.
This raises questions. Why should Western countries upgrade the capabilities of Egypt’s military while its biggest problems are economic and social? What enemy does Egypt face? Of what military alliance is Egypt a member? MENL reports that the French deal would include the sale of advanced sea-to-sea and sea-to-land missiles for Egypt’s surface vessels. What Egyptian commitments abroad require modernization of its naval fleet?
The U.S. has been asked to make improvements in Egypt’s port at El Arish and sell both F-16 multipurpose fighters and Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM) kits that turn dumb bombs into smart bombs. JDAM will not replace Egypt’s stock of bombs; it will allow them to be accurately delivered in all weather conditions day or night. A possible upgrade could add a terminal seeker to improve accuracy further. JDAM-equipped bombs can be dropped approximately 15 miles from the target and each can be independently targeted.
Israel’s greatest conventional vulnerability is on its seacoast – 80 percent of the population and most of its economic assets lie along the Mediterranean. What is it, exactly, that we want Egypt to be targeting accurately from 15 miles out with American JDAMs? To what land would those French sea-to-land missiles be directed?
Egypt is an important country by virtue of its size and weight in the Arab world. It has a good-sized middle class and has undertaken serious economic reforms – both of which should be encouraged and enhanced. It is also in the late stages of a dictatorial regime with succession problems including a large Islamist revolutionary movement. There must be better ways to ensure Egypt’s role as a force for stability and leadership than by providing the wherewithal to threaten America’s only democratic ally in the region, Israel.