Over 20 House members are urging President Obama to immediately approve sending strike drones to Jordan to help the Middle East ally fight the Islamic State.
A March 9 letter to the president, signed by 22 Republicans and one Democrat, says Jordan will turn to China for remotely piloted aircraft if the administration continues to balk at Jordan’s request.
The letter, spearheaded by House Armed Services Committee member Duncan Hunter, California Republican, suggests a new kind of arrangement to meet U.S. concerns about transferred drone technology ending up in wrong hands.
The compromise would see Jordanian F-16 pilots trained to fly the MQ-1 Predator, armed with Hellfire missiles, while the U.S. Air Force retained ownership. Predator maker General Atomics would be in charge of launching and recovering the fleet as well as maintenance.
“The request, if approved, would ensure Jordan is able to quickly acquire this much-needed advanced capability as it confronts [the Islamic State],” the letter states.
Jordan has taken a leading coalition role in flying F-16s fighters over Syria and Iraq to strike Islamic State targets. But its fighter fleet is limited and it has excess pilots who could transfer to the remote pilot role.
Jordan has a pending request with the State Department to buy unarmed Predator XP models for reconnaissance missions. In recent weeks, it asked the administration to approve acquiring one of the most advanced strike drones in the world, the MQ-1 Reaper.
In the meantime, Mr. Hunter and others are proposing a temporary solution.
“Jordan is leading the fight against ISIL,” said a congressional staffer, using an alternative name for the Islamic State. “They are a trusted partner. Otherwise they will go to China. If you are going to send F-16s to Jordan, what the heck is the difference?”
The letter states, “While there might be a presumption to restrict the availability and use of unmanned aerial systems, there is significant risk with doing so. Jordan, for instance, has signaled its intent to purchase platforms from China should the U.S. choose to either deny the export of unarmed systems or refuse the opportunity to temporarily utilize existing Air Force assets.”
This, the lawmakers warned, would “create a new market for China to export its technology and mitigate U.S. interoperability.”
• Rowan Scarborough can be reached at rscarborough@washingtontimes.com.
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