US and UK weapons makers thrive on sales to Saudi Arabia, a rogue state sponsor of regional terrorism, waging naked aggression on Yemen, a US-orchestrated war.
Washington is Riyadh’s leading arms supplier. In 2010, the Obama administration approved up to $60 billion in multi-year sales, the largest US weapons deal ever.
Naval and missile defense upgrades may be worth tens of billions more. In 2011, Riyadh said it plans on around $90 billion worth of US arms purchases in coming years.
It’s the world’s largest arms buyer, accounting for an estimated one in seven dollars spent in 2015. In 2014, Riyadh and the UAE imported more weapons and munitions than all Western European countries combined.
According to its 2015 Global Defense Trade Report, IHS Jane’s 360 said Saudi Arabia overtook India in 2014 as America’s largest annual arms buyer, senior defense analyst Ben Moores, saying:
“Growth in Saudi Arabia has been dramatic and, based on previous orders, these numbers are not going to slow down.”
Year-over-year Saudi US arms purchases increased by 54% from 2013 to 2014 - a further estimated 52% last year. - See more at: http://www.rense.com/general96/usukmerchants.html#sthash.KfncaCzP.dpuf
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