US Missile Deal with Bahrain Amid Opposition of 2 Congressmen
2015-09-18 - 11:17 p
Bahrain Mirror: Two US congressmen criticized the US resuming arms sales to Bahrain, while at the same time an American company announced manufacturing a batch of smart missiles for Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.
The American Lockheed Martin Company announced that it had received a $227 million contract from the U.S. Army for Lot 10 production of the Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) Unitary.
It registered the first order of GMLRS Alternative Warhead production. The contract included a U.S. government Foreign Military Sale of GMLRS Unitary rockets to Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.
"GMLRS is a combat proven precision-strike system," said Ken Musculus, vice president of Tactical Missiles for Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. "We are confident that the new GMLRS Alternative Warhead will also provide reliable, highly accurate capability for our domestic and international customers."
"GMLRS is an all-weather rocket designed for fast deployment that delivers precision strike beyond the reach of most conventional weapons," the statement read.
The democratic senator Ron Wyden and congressman Jim McGovern criticized in an article published on the CNN website the fact that the US resumed arms sales to Bahrain.
"Being lawmakers since a long time, we believe in promoting human rights and his dignity. US has not to balance and encourage clamping down on peaceful protestors through selling arms to the governments that intend to use them for this aim. We will present legislations to defeat this misguided decision," the article read.
"The Bahraini government has suppressed the opposition leader, human rights defenders and even paramedics since the eruption of massive popular protests since 2011. The regime's campaign continues to intimidate and deter the activists without mercy, according to human rights groups," it added.
The 2 congressmen called on the Obama administration to allow arms sales only if real reform is made and not with the ongoing suppression and only if Bahrain takes meaningful steps to improve the human rights situation.
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