US says funds for F-16s to Pakistan is tough sell
(NSI News Source Info) WASHINGTON - September 17, 2008: The Bush administration expects an uphill battle with Congress for permission to use counterterrorism funds to upgrade Pakistan's F-16 fighters, the State Department's top diplomat for South Asia said on Monday.But even if lawmakers balk, the State Department believes it has the authority to shift counterterrorism aid to the fighter program."For the moment, we're not taking a legalistic approach to this. We're trying to work it out with the Congress," Richard Boucher, assistant secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs, said in an interview with Reuters. Lawmakers plan to hold a hearing on Tuesday to grill administration officials on the F-16 program with Pakistan and its use in counterterrorism operations against al Qaeda and Taliban extremists in the border areas with Afghanistan.Analysts say the F-16, built by Lockheed Martin Corp, and other big-ticket military items have in the past been viewed by Islamabad as weapons to help Pakistan counter its rival, India.In July, two senior Democratic lawmakers asked the administration not to use the $226.5 million to refurbish the F-16s. They said they feared the plan diverted cash from more urgent counterterrorism equipment like helicopters and night-vision goggles.But Boucher said the F-16s also had been used for counterterrorism missions in hundreds of sorties targeting militants in the tribal areas in recent months.The F-16 upgrade was badly needed, he said, and would give Pakistan with a more effective counter-terrorism tool, enabling forces to work at night and improve precision-strike capability.He also said the money would come from areas, such as maritime patrol programs, that were not as urgently needed as the fighter upgrades."I think it's an uphill climb but we don't shy away from uphill climbs," Boucher said of the State Department's effort to convince Congress to allow it to shift the funds to the Pakistani F-16 program.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
US says funds for F-16s to Pakistan is tough sell
US says funds for F-16s to Pakistan is tough sell
(NSI News Source Info) WASHINGTON - September 17, 2008: The Bush administration expects an uphill battle with Congress for permission to use counterterrorism funds to upgrade Pakistan's F-16 fighters, the State Department's top diplomat for South Asia said on Monday.But even if lawmakers balk, the State Department believes it has the authority to shift counterterrorism aid to the fighter program."For the moment, we're not taking a legalistic approach to this. We're trying to work it out with the Congress," Richard Boucher, assistant secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs, said in an interview with Reuters. Lawmakers plan to hold a hearing on Tuesday to grill administration officials on the F-16 program with Pakistan and its use in counterterrorism operations against al Qaeda and Taliban extremists in the border areas with Afghanistan.Analysts say the F-16, built by Lockheed Martin Corp, and other big-ticket military items have in the past been viewed by Islamabad as weapons to help Pakistan counter its rival, India.In July, two senior Democratic lawmakers asked the administration not to use the $226.5 million to refurbish the F-16s. They said they feared the plan diverted cash from more urgent counterterrorism equipment like helicopters and night-vision goggles.But Boucher said the F-16s also had been used for counterterrorism missions in hundreds of sorties targeting militants in the tribal areas in recent months.The F-16 upgrade was badly needed, he said, and would give Pakistan with a more effective counter-terrorism tool, enabling forces to work at night and improve precision-strike capability.He also said the money would come from areas, such as maritime patrol programs, that were not as urgently needed as the fighter upgrades."I think it's an uphill climb but we don't shy away from uphill climbs," Boucher said of the State Department's effort to convince Congress to allow it to shift the funds to the Pakistani F-16 program.
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