Pakistan Asks for $160M of Tactical Radios
On November 13, 2006, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) notified Congress of a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of Pakistan of $160 million worth of Harris High Frequency/Very High Frequency (HF/VHF) tactical radio systems. The possible sale includes 1,558 20-Watt High Frequency (HF) Man Packs, 2,188 20-Watt HF Vehicular Systems, 175 150-Watt HF Vehicular Systems, ancillary equipment, spare and repairs parts, support equipment, personnel training and training equipment, publications, U.S. Government and contractor engineering and logistics services and other related elements of program support. The prime contractor will be Harris Corporation in Rochester, NY, who enjoyed a good deal of success in the tactical radio market. There are no known offset agreements proposed in connection with this potential sale.
The DSCA release [PDF format] notes that “this proposed sale will contribute to the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to improve the security of a friendly country that continues to be a key ally in the global war on terrorism. The radios will enable Pakistan to improve on its capability to provide current and updated intelligence between patrols and higher headquarters. Also, the radios will increase interoperability between Pakistan and the U.S. and coalition forces assisting in the efforts to curtail and eliminate terrorist activities.”
Which is where things get interesting. As in “it will be interesting to see if there’s any Congressional blowback over the next 30 days, given recent developments”…
Despite the DSCA’s assurances, the volume and pace of reports that tie Pakistan to the recent upsurge in Taliban/ al-Qaeda activity in Afghanistan are picking up, right on the heels of previous complaints from the British commander that Quetta, Pakistan is the Taliban’s operational headquarters. Then there’s the Musharraf government’s surrender of control over the “lawless frontier” border areas of Waziristan et. al. to al-Qaeda-friendly Islamists, and subsequent release of 2,500 individuals linked to the Taliban and/or al-Qaeda in September 2006. Since then, the main spinoff has been the growth of an insurgency within Pakistan, but that won’t be the only spinoff.
US and allied troops facing increasingly difficult battles in Afghanistan as a direct result of these decisions, and Pakistan’s status and even security is coming under increasingly skeptical scrutiny in the West. As such, the DSCA’s cheerful submission to Congress, and assurances that this equipment will be used to help secure the very border areas with Afghanistan that Pakistan’s government has just abandoned, have an odd ring to them at best.
The July 2006 F-16 deals encountered Congressional resistance, and the legal procedure remains the same: if any legislators wish to act, the law states that they have 30 days from the date of notification to pass measures that will stop a sale. Whether Congress chooses to make an issue of these deals given the recent changes in Pakistan remains to be seen.
