London, June 10th 2019

Tactics Institute for Security and Counter Terrorism welcomes the actions of bipartisan senators in Washington DC who have opposed a United States-Saudi Arabia arms deal with a succession of resolutions.

Today Democratic Senator Chris Murphy and Republican Senator Todd Young are introducing a bill that will force a vote on U.S. military support for Saudi Arabia. The bill represents a bipartisan effort to block President Trump’s emergency arms sales to Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states.

The New York Times has reported that the arms deal will allow for high-tech U.S. bomb parts to be manufactured in Saudi Arabia. Under the deal, US corporation Raytheon would work directly with Saudi Arabia on precision-guided bomb technology, which has been used against civilians during the Saudi-UAE-led war in Yemen. President Trump’s move forms part of an $8.1 billion arms package for Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan.

To avoid the legal requirement for congressional approval, Trump used an emergency presidential declaration in May to force the deal through.

Tactics Institute notes that both Democratic and Republican lawmakers, including key Trump ally Lindsey Graham, have criticised the deal, and senators have now announced 22 resolutions against it, one for each sale.

Tactics further notes that the move to block the sale of weapons to the absolute monarchy by senators is an attempt to restore Congress’s historical, crucial and democratic role in matters of American foreign policy.

In April, a congressional War Powers Resolution ordered the U.S. to halt most military support for the war in Yemen. This was regrettably vetoed by President Trump.

Tactics calls for the halt of arms sales to regimes carrying out attacks on Yemeni civilians, which have created the the world’s worst humanitarian disaster. Tactics Director, Thomas Charles commented: “In April, a report from the U.N. put the death toll from fighting, hunger and disease in Yemen at almost a quarter of a million since the start of the conflict in 2015. All countries complicit in supporting this shameful war should cease arms sales to Saudi Arabia, the UAE and their allies immediately.”

Tactics Institute for Security and Counter Terrorism is an independent, non-partisan, think tank. Tactics researches terrorism to identify its causes and best possible remedies, always bearing in mind the protection of individual liberties and the human rights of all those affected.

For more information please contact Tactics Institute for Security and Counter Terrorism at info@tacticsinstitute.com