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US 'Significantly' Cuts Financial Aid To Pakistan, Israel happy with her share
[ToloNews] The United States Congress on Thursday approved a $716.3-billion defense authorization bill, wherein it made a significant cut to the security-oriented financial aid to Pakistain.The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for 2019 ramped up the military spending and avoided policy changes that would have antagonized US President Donald Trump ...New York real estate developer, described by Dems as illiterate, racist, misogynistic, and what ever other unpleasant descriptions they can think of, elected by the rest of us as 45th President of the United States... In the latest NDAA, the security aid to Islamabad ‐ that had once started from almost $750 million per year to $1 billion ‐ was marked down to a mere $150 million. However, a hangover is the wrath of grapes... it also relaxed certain conditions that were attached with the financial assistance, including action against the Haqqani Network and the Lashkar-e-Taiba  ...the Army of the Pure,an Ahl-e-Hadith terror organization founded by Hafiz Saeed. LeT masquerades behind the Jamaat-ud-Dawa facade within Pakistain and periodically blows things up and kills people in India. Despite the fact that it is banned, always an interesting concept in Pakistain, the organization remains an blatant tool and perhaps an arm of the ISI... (LeT). This crucial reduction translates into the fact that the Pentagon might not have any tools to pressurize Pakistain into taking action against the banned myrmidon outfits. The US had earlier used these funds to ask Islamabad to do more with regard to the counter-terrorism operations, especially against the Haqqani Network. Lately, the Trump administration, which has become quite active in trying to make the Afghan peace talks work, has been pushing Pakistain to help bring the Taliban ...the Pashtun equivalent of men... to the negotiating table in order to reach a deal with Kabul's government. The NDAA 2019, which was earlier given the green signal by the US House of Representatives, was passed 87 to 10 in the Senate. The Bill has now been sent to the White House for Trump to sign. The bill provides $69 billion in war funding known as overseas contingency operations, authorizes a 2.6-percent pay raise for members of the armed forces, and invests tens of billions in modernizing the Pentagon's air and sea fleets and missile defenses.
American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) praised the bill which includes $500 million for missile defense cooperation between the two countries, and up to $50 million for counter-tunnel defense, thanking the Senate for helping to "protect Israel against mounting security threats." According to AIPAC, the bill "authorizes funding for both R&D and procurement for the Iron Dome, David’s Sling, Arrow-2 and Arrow-3 missile defense systems. These programs enable Israel to defend its citizens while advancing America’s own missile defense capabilities." In addition, the bill authorizes the government to provide counter-tunnel technology, which AIPAC said, "will enable America and Israel to continue their joint efforts to defeat the threat posed by terrorist organizations like Hamas and similar threats America faces in the Middle East and beyond." The funding is less than in the 2017 budget, but AIPAC said it is in accordance with the 2016 US-Israel Memorandum of Understanding on security assistance. The bill notably prohibits delivery of F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft to ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... , a NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A cautionary tale of cost-benefit analysis.... ally with increasingly fraught relations with Washington, until Ankara can confirm it will not buy Russia’s S-400 anti-aircraft missile system. And while China and Russia are classified as "strategic competitors" to the United States, the legislation negotiated between the House and Senate left out a proposal by senators that would have blocked a deal Trump reached with Chinese telecommunications giant ZTE that eases tough financial penalties on the firm for helping Iran and  North Korea evade American sanctions.Russia-related sanctions The NDAA also includes a provision allowing the administration to waive some Russia-related sanctions that would have barred Washington from selling defense-related equipment to countries using Russian technology. Supporters of the provision stress that the change will help certain countries wean themselves off of Russian influence. The bill including provisions which allow for better assessment of risks to US national security from transactions involving foreign firms aiming to gain access to sensitive American technology. It also extends a restriction on US-Russian military cooperation, and authorizes $65 million to revamp the US nuclear arsenal by developing new "low-yield" nuclear weapons. This year’s NDAA was named after Senator  John MaverickMcCain ... the Senator-for-Life from Arizona, former presidential candidate and even more former foot soldier in the Reagan Revolution. As an ordinary citizenhe greased the infamous hookers peeing on the Obamabed in Moscowdossier in an attempt to smear President Trump... , the Senate Armed Services Committee chairman and national security hawk who is home in Arizona battling brain cancer. "This year’s NDAA represents an important opportunity to implement an effective approach to confront a growing array of threats around the world," McCain said. Posted by: trailing wife 2018-08-04 |
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