US Wants Middle Eastern Partners To Invest In Allied Weapons Systems -Pentagon

The United States wants its Middle Eastern partners to invest in US and other allied defense systems, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy, Plans, and Capabilities Mara Karlin said on Wednesday

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 24th May, 2023) The United States wants its middle Eastern partners to invest in US and other allied defense systems, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy, Plans, and Capabilities Mara Karlin said on Wednesday.

"For integration and interoperability to take root, we want our partners investing in US and allied systems," Karlin said at the third Middle East Institute-CENTCOM annual conference.

Achieving that is in the interests of the country's long-term influence in the region without the necessity of deploying thousands of troops, and of Washington's military industrial base, Karlin stated.

US�partners in the Middle East have a "longstanding instinct" of diversifying their weaponry providers, even though it may mean weakening their combat effectiveness and increased sustainment challenges, she continued.

The official stressed the need to take collective steps to integrate regional bilateral security relations into a multilateral relationship.

Transparency is also an important element, Karlin continued, adding that Middle Eastern partners ought to be more transparent with the US, and vice versa, and that there must be a mutual willingness to synchronize investments in communication infrastructure, defense platforms and capabilities.