SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
A man walks by U.S. drone graffiti painted on a wall during a campaign against drones in Yemen on May 31, 2018 in Sana'a, Yemen. (Photo: Mohammed Hamoud/Getty Images)
Amid Push to 'Sell More Weapons Overseas,' Report Indicates Trump Moving to Expand Drone Exports
The expansion would come after a reinterpretation of an arms agreement between 35 nations.
Jun 12, 2020
New reporting from Reuters Friday reveals that the Trump administration is paving the path to sell armed drones to nations including Saudi Arabia and UAE by moving to "reinterpret" a three-decades old arms export control arrangement.
At issue is the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), an agreement between 35 nations including the U.S. Established in 1987, its goal is to "maintain vigilance over the transfer of missile equipment, material, and related technologies usable for systems capable of delivering WMD."
MTCR "places particular focus on rockets and unmanned aerial vehicles capable of delivering a payload of at least 500 kg to a range of at least 300 km and on equipment, software, and technology for such systems," says the website for the regime.
The planned interpretation, Reuters reported, citing information from weapons industry executives and a U.S. official, "could open up sales of armed U.S. drones to less stable governments such as Jordan and the United Arab Emirates," which had thus far been barred from receiving such weaponry under the arms export controls in the MTCR.
Based on the news agency's reporting, major U.S. weapons manufacturers appear eager for the potential change:
U.S. drone manufacturers, face growing competition overseas especially from Chinese and Israeli rivals who have far fewer rules limiting sales.The defense contractors are vying for a larger share of the global military drone market, which the Teal Group, a market research firm, forecast annual sales, research and development will rise from $15.8 billion in 2020 to nearly $20 billion by 2029.
Bart Roper, Senior Vice President for Strategic Development at General Atomics, said the firm has been limited under current policy and that a liberalization of the rules could result in "hundreds" of new sales. Roper, who did not confirm the policy change, said there is strong interest from Middle East and Southeast Asian customers that have been forced to purchase aircraft from the Chinese because of a lack of U.S. alternatives.
A Northrop Grumman spokesman added that increased drone exports would lead to closer work on the technology with allies, helping keep U.S. drones state-of-the-art.
Approved sales under the new interpretation are expected "as soon as this summer" following a review next week by the White House National Security Council, the outlet added, adding that it "could not determine what specific criteria the State Department will use in scrutinizing weapons deals under the new interpretation."
Reuters also noted that the move is "part of a broader Trump administration effort to sell more weapons overseas."
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
New reporting from Reuters Friday reveals that the Trump administration is paving the path to sell armed drones to nations including Saudi Arabia and UAE by moving to "reinterpret" a three-decades old arms export control arrangement.
At issue is the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), an agreement between 35 nations including the U.S. Established in 1987, its goal is to "maintain vigilance over the transfer of missile equipment, material, and related technologies usable for systems capable of delivering WMD."
MTCR "places particular focus on rockets and unmanned aerial vehicles capable of delivering a payload of at least 500 kg to a range of at least 300 km and on equipment, software, and technology for such systems," says the website for the regime.
The planned interpretation, Reuters reported, citing information from weapons industry executives and a U.S. official, "could open up sales of armed U.S. drones to less stable governments such as Jordan and the United Arab Emirates," which had thus far been barred from receiving such weaponry under the arms export controls in the MTCR.
Based on the news agency's reporting, major U.S. weapons manufacturers appear eager for the potential change:
U.S. drone manufacturers, face growing competition overseas especially from Chinese and Israeli rivals who have far fewer rules limiting sales.The defense contractors are vying for a larger share of the global military drone market, which the Teal Group, a market research firm, forecast annual sales, research and development will rise from $15.8 billion in 2020 to nearly $20 billion by 2029.
Bart Roper, Senior Vice President for Strategic Development at General Atomics, said the firm has been limited under current policy and that a liberalization of the rules could result in "hundreds" of new sales. Roper, who did not confirm the policy change, said there is strong interest from Middle East and Southeast Asian customers that have been forced to purchase aircraft from the Chinese because of a lack of U.S. alternatives.
A Northrop Grumman spokesman added that increased drone exports would lead to closer work on the technology with allies, helping keep U.S. drones state-of-the-art.
Approved sales under the new interpretation are expected "as soon as this summer" following a review next week by the White House National Security Council, the outlet added, adding that it "could not determine what specific criteria the State Department will use in scrutinizing weapons deals under the new interpretation."
Reuters also noted that the move is "part of a broader Trump administration effort to sell more weapons overseas."
New reporting from Reuters Friday reveals that the Trump administration is paving the path to sell armed drones to nations including Saudi Arabia and UAE by moving to "reinterpret" a three-decades old arms export control arrangement.
At issue is the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), an agreement between 35 nations including the U.S. Established in 1987, its goal is to "maintain vigilance over the transfer of missile equipment, material, and related technologies usable for systems capable of delivering WMD."
MTCR "places particular focus on rockets and unmanned aerial vehicles capable of delivering a payload of at least 500 kg to a range of at least 300 km and on equipment, software, and technology for such systems," says the website for the regime.
The planned interpretation, Reuters reported, citing information from weapons industry executives and a U.S. official, "could open up sales of armed U.S. drones to less stable governments such as Jordan and the United Arab Emirates," which had thus far been barred from receiving such weaponry under the arms export controls in the MTCR.
Based on the news agency's reporting, major U.S. weapons manufacturers appear eager for the potential change:
U.S. drone manufacturers, face growing competition overseas especially from Chinese and Israeli rivals who have far fewer rules limiting sales.The defense contractors are vying for a larger share of the global military drone market, which the Teal Group, a market research firm, forecast annual sales, research and development will rise from $15.8 billion in 2020 to nearly $20 billion by 2029.
Bart Roper, Senior Vice President for Strategic Development at General Atomics, said the firm has been limited under current policy and that a liberalization of the rules could result in "hundreds" of new sales. Roper, who did not confirm the policy change, said there is strong interest from Middle East and Southeast Asian customers that have been forced to purchase aircraft from the Chinese because of a lack of U.S. alternatives.
A Northrop Grumman spokesman added that increased drone exports would lead to closer work on the technology with allies, helping keep U.S. drones state-of-the-art.
Approved sales under the new interpretation are expected "as soon as this summer" following a review next week by the White House National Security Council, the outlet added, adding that it "could not determine what specific criteria the State Department will use in scrutinizing weapons deals under the new interpretation."
Reuters also noted that the move is "part of a broader Trump administration effort to sell more weapons overseas."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.