Does anyone else see this as a stupid prospect? As we pull out of Iraq, we leave a vacuum. Suni-Shite civil war is inevitable. Iraqi military and police corruption is also inevitable. Oh, yes, I know we are leaving behind a 'Advise and Assist' brigade. This stinks of so many past history lessons we never seem to learn from. If we have to go back in the future, we will be facing our own more lethal weapons. Not in Iraq, but it was just the other day that an US-trained Afghan policeman shot and killed his US contractor trainers. I have friends over there performing that role. We are training people we can't trust to be loyal to their own government, let alone their Western help. Iran's Stingers got sold and used all over the world for terrorism. Their F-4 Phantoms still fly today; however, the F-14's rotted in the desert without electronic rotables to keep them flying. The illegal arms trade with terrorist groups is big enough without the US legalizing it under the false assumption of some kind of partnership in democracy. This is so f'ing frustrating it's not even funny.

Iraq To Spend $13B On U.S. Arms, Equipment

BAGHDAD - Iraq is preparing to buy as much as $13 billion in American arms and military equipment, a huge order of tanks, ships and hardware that U.S. officials say shows Iraqi-U.S. military ties will be tight for years to come.

"It helps to build their capabilities, first and foremost; and second, it builds our strategic relationship for the future," said Army Lt. Gen. Michael Barbero, the ranking U.S. officer responsible for training and advising Iraq forces.

With combat operations officially ended, Vice President Biden and Iraqi officials will gather today at a ceremony at the main U.S. base near Baghdad Airport to mark U.S. troops' transition to an advisory role that focuses on assisting Iraqi security forces. The number of U.S. service members has dropped below 50,000. All U.S. forces are scheduled to leave Iraq by the end of next year.

Military sales, which often include lengthy maintenance and training contracts, are part of U.S. efforts to maintain a relationship with Iraq. About half the $13 billion in sales are finalized contracts, and the rest are still in negotiations.

The sales will make Iraq among the world's biggest customers for American military arms and equipment. The Iraq Defense Ministry intends to transform the country's degraded conventional forces into a state-of-the-art military.

"It's going to be a modern and fairly sophisticated military," Barbero said.

Part of the planned purchase includes M-1 tanks, the main battle tank for the U.S. military. Iraq wants to buy 140 of the tanks, and Iraqi crews have already started training on them.

Iraqi forces saw firsthand the effectiveness of America's M-1 tank during the Persian Gulf War in 1991, when the U.S. Army obliterated the slower and less sophisticated Iraqi tanks.

Iraq's conventional weaponry came largely from the Soviet Union and was ravaged by Saddam Hussein's war with Iran in the 1980s and the Gulf War led by the United States. The Iraqi air force was practically wiped out in the wars. Later, United Nations sanctions after the Gulf War prevented Saddam from maintaining his military.

In addition to the $13 billion purchase, the Iraqis have requested 18 F-16 Falcon fighter jets as part of a $3 billion program that also includes aircraft training and maintenance. If approved by Congress, the first aircraft could arrive in spring 2013. Under the plan, the first 10 pilots would be trained in the U.S.

Recent success in battling the Islamist insurgency has allowed Iraq to shift from a lightly equipped counterinsurgency force to a conventional force capable of securing its borders and repelling threats, Barbero said.

"They're at a point now where they're starting to make changes to focus on these conventional capabilities that they need," he said.

Have to be shitting me.

Why the **** are we giving them Abrams tanks... and F-16's! They don't need that shit. And chances are, one way or another. It will be shooting at US inside of two decades.

Remember the geniuses that sold F-14's to freaking Iran?

Man this pisses me off.

The politicians in office right now just cant grasp *how* iraqi culture/society works. They envision some grand arabic army as an ally, with the O's whitehouse looking with their head held high as always.... when in fact.... well, I think maintenance wise, these things will be lucky to last a year. Least the ones that they don't hawk to other countries, warlords, random guy on street corner. Never have any gas for them either because the brilliant society likes to steal that too.

And if they can buy military hardware...... how about repaying reconstruction debt first.

ETA: all you flyboys out there, look to see your nearest Iraqi hawking avgas out of jugs!

Fox, this is creating a stir at many levels. Even though the export laws require the F-16's and Abrams be 'dumbed down', they are still a huge threat to others in the region. Think of another Iraq/Iran war. And I guarantee that this is what the planners are thinking when they give these idiots these weapons. We are bolstering a military in the region in the likely event Iran will pull the trigger of stupidity in the future. The problem is, we can't count on the Iraqis to not keep control of themselves, let alone this new gear they will be getting. This is phucked up to the 10th power. We wouldn't even give Japan F-22's, so why are we giving a country that we can't trust anything?

These people aren't even our allies yet. Our mission has failed and everything over there is going to come crumbling down very soon. It doesn't make sense at all.

Wow we kick their ass, have their president killed, now were selling them weapons? How dumb down are they suppose to make them? Their plan is probably to arm them, train them and then use them as our eastern connection and allies in future wars or just trading. But I agree they are not our allies and will not be trustworthy anytime soon. I think it will take decades to find out if they are really our allies. I think the only way they will be trustworthy allies is their would have to be major change over there,including religion,including the way people are bought and easily influenced with money and other things they don't have. You promise someone that has nothing the world and they do anything for you.Just my opinion bash me if you want.

I've said it before , I'll say it again :

Just WTF was Lil' Bush thinking when we invaded Iraq ? Then took out Saddam ? Did Cheney have his hand up Bush's backside making him do it ? It has to be one of the great military blunders in history.....There was no real WMD's to speak of except for a few scuds and mustard gas, He maybe had a few Aircraft they weren't supposed to have buried in the desert.

Saddam was an evil bastard by all accounts, But in the beginning he was the CIA's bastard, He silenced, tortured, and murdered all that opposed him religiously and politically - Which in THAT part of the world goes hand in hand, He had control of his evil little piss ant people who feared him like a god, Not only wasn't he supporting terrorism, He didn't want other groups or views mucking about in "His" country's politics/affairs.......He was a stablizing force in the region except for a few times going off the reservation and we "spanked" him for it, His neighbors like Iran had a healthy fear of him too, and didn't really want to start any shit with him around.

Soo someone remind me again why "Liberating " Iraq and spending trillions on it was a good idea ? And now we're gonna give them better gear to go into a coming civil war with ? And then those that come to power will most likely be against us any way ? And You have one of the biggest terror supporters Iran sitting on the sideline that was once a sworn enemy of Iraq.

How was this ever a good idea to start with......

Not to go off topic here too much, but I believe the remnants of Saddam's WMD program went across the border to his Syrian Baathist Party brethren. Now, the Syrians don't want to be caught with that shit, so I'm sure they either destroyed it or have it hidden somewhere. There's a great non-fiction written by Yossef Bodansky, once the Director of the United States Congressional Task Force on Terrorism and Unconventional Warfare and longtime consultant for the DoD and State Department, called "The Secret History of the Iraq War". He's also written another non-fiction call "Bin Laden". His background in world history and international political science, specifically for the Middle East, is extensive. These books detail the region's history dating back to the Persian and Babylonian Empires all the way through the Afghan Wars and into modern conflict; specifically the regions multiple invasions by Asian, Anglo-Saxon, and Ottoman armies and the bred hatred for all non-Muslim civilizations because of it. This deep-rooted hatred based on these invaders/conquerors is what soiled Osama Bin Laden and drove him to fight the Soviets whom most of the Middle East saw as just another invading non-Muslim army. Saddam was sympathetic to Bin Laden and vowed to aid him in any way possible. Also, the ties between Saddam Hussein and the Syrians were pretty deep and entangled. The Baathist Party in Syria harbored Saddam and his uncle when they were thrown out of Iraq prior to him coming back to coup de tat the government. The old guard of Syria and Iraq (Saddam's father and uncle) had ties to Nazi Germany and the Fascist Party there. Syria sympathized with Saddam's and his Uncle's desire to have a Sunni controlled Baathist regime in Iraq. I think 50 years from now, we are going to have a whole other perspective of the war in Iraq. The coming civil war between the Sunni and Shiite Muslims will bare many truths to what has been kept secret. While Saddam was a stabilizing force in the Middle East, he was also a major threat. A quick study of the Iran-Iraq war, his invasion of Kuwait, and his dislike of the Saudi Kingdom and the Jewish control of Palestine would tell anyone that you can only call him a stabilizing force to those that feared him. His goal was to re-establish the Babylonian empire. So, stabilizing to the region, yes. But, at the same time, a major threat to the region. Why did we care? The spice must flow. For you you kids who don't know that reference, read the Dune books. And, oh yes, he had WMD. He used them in the past on the Iranian army and the Kurds. We all know of the Osirak Reactor, right? It was a prelude to what is going to happen in Iran.

Oh Well......Just pointing out Saddam was the lesser of two evils, If Iraq goes into a civil war and I'm sure we can agree it will, And Israel attacks Iran's nuke factory, Or worse Iran attacks Israel and gets nuked by them.

There was a "Status Quo" of sorts in the region with Saddam around.....And we could reach out and spank him when needed......Now there's going to be a Vacuum and a big "?" as to what happens next.

Nice Dune reference.