ACTION NEEDED ON F-16 SALE TO
CHILE!!!!!!
Chile has recently selected
Lockheed Martin to provide up to 12 F-16 fighter jets to the Chilean Air Force.
Chile also wants to purchase advanced medium range air-to-air missiles (AMRAAMs)
as part of the package, as well as other sophisticated accessories that appear
unreasonable given the level of threat in the Southern Cone and the high price
tag associated with these items. Along with the beyond-visual-range of the
AMRAAMs, Chile is also demanding a LANTIRN navigation system and a mid-air
refueling capability that would give the F-16s a power projection capability not
required for strictly defensive use. Furthermore, Chile is demanding the
software source codes for the targeting system, something the U.S. government
has traditionally refused to transfer for fear of misuse or diversion. The
Clinton administration also pledged not to transfer the AMRAAMs, or to sell them
but keep them on US territory until another state imports similar technology
first, in an effort to uphold a commitment not to introduce new technology into
a region. It is unclear whether the Bush administration will stick to that
policy.
Providing Chile with all the
equipment being requested could also trigger alarm bells in neighboring states.
Bolivia, which is in dispute with Chile over water rights, has already expressed
its opposition to the sale, saying the deal might lead Bolivia to increase its
own military spending.
Finally, Chile is planning
on spending $600 million on the purchase, an extraordinary sum for a state
recovering from its worst recession in 20 years. Although Chile's socialist
government has been convinced to support the sale, this may stem primarily from
a need to appease the military after the Chilean Supreme Court stripped former
dictator Augusto Pinochet of his immunity from
prosecution.
Action
Request:
The impact of
advanced weaponry on regional stability should be one of President Bush’s top
priorities in Latin America. As the
Third Summit of the Americas approaches in April, we urge President Bush to
consult with the United States’ Latin American allies to establish a
multi-lateral agreement, specifying the number of weapons and types of
technologies necessary to address modernization needs and defense of this
region. This alternative would
allow the countries in this region to maintain military parity and slow the pace
of defense modernization, dedicating more resources to improve their economies
and democracies.
On April 20-22
President Bush and over thirty other democratically elected heads of State from
the Americas will gather in Quebec City, Canada for the Third Summit of the
Americas. Please write to Bush and
urge him to work with the United States’ allies in Latin America toward greater
regional stability through a cooperative multilateral agreement with limits on
numerical and technological military modernization.
The
Letter:
April XX,
2001
The
President
The White
House
Washington, DC
20500
Dear Mr.
President:
I write to urge
you to consult with the United States allies in Latin
America at the
upcoming Summit of the Americas in Quebec City, Canada,
April
20-22, on the
proliferation of advanced weaponry to the region. I am
concerned that
the pending sale of F-16 fighter
jets with advanced power
projection
technologies to the Government of Chile will destabilize
the
region and
threaten the development of the region’s economies and
democracies. I urge you to consult with allies at the
Summit to work toward
greater
regional stability through a cooperative multilateral agreement
with
limits on
numerical and technological military modernization.
The F-16s sale,
from jet maker Lockheed-Martin, includes Advanced Medium
Range
Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM), the LITENING II deep strike
navigation
and targeting
system, and fuel tanks that would extend the range of the
aircraft. Because Chile is in a peaceful and
democratic area, these weapons
are needless
for its defensive purposes. Chile’s
acquisition of these types
of defense
systems would only increase the odds of a regional arms
race.
These concerns
have already been made to you by Senator Christopher Dodd
(D-CT) and nine
of his colleagues. Additionally,
over twenty
non-governmental
organizations, including arms control, human rights, and
Latin American
interest groups, wrote to you in late March with similar
concerns.
At the Summit I
urge you to work with the other Latin American heads of
State toward a
cooperative security framework in Latin America that makes
a
priority of the
issues and challenges identified for the Summit - improved
access to
education, poverty alleviation, strengthening human rights
and
democracy and
economic integration. Through such
an agreement the United
States can help
reduce the pace of defense modernization and strengthen the
existing
economies and democracies of the region.
Thank you for your
attention to
this matter.
Other
Actions:
Please take any one of the
following steps to ensure the U.S. makes a careful assessment before deciding
whether to approve this sale of F-16s, especially the high tech accessories
being demanded by Santiago.
·
Call your
Representative in the House - especially if on the House International Relations
Committee - and let him/her know you oppose the sale as it is currently being
proposed by Chile.
·
Call your Senator and
ask him/her to sign on to the letter being circulated by Senator Dodd's office
(the contact is Janice O'Connell at 224-3953). The letter is
below.
·
The following members
have already signed on to this letter: (Dodd, Christopher
(D-CT),
·
Sarbanes, Paul (D-MD),
Biden, Joseph (D-DE), Feingold, Russ (D-WI), Harkin, Tom
(D-IA)
·
Leahy, Pat (D-VT),
Kerry, John (D-MA). If you live in their state, please call them to thank them
for taking a cautious stand on this sale.
The
Letter:
April XX,
2001
The
President
The White
House
Washington, DC
20500
Dear Mr.
President:
We are writing to raise
concerns about the proposed $600 million sale of
F-16 fighter jets to the
Government of Chile. While we do not oppose
providing our ally with
safe, reliable aircraft for its defense, we believe
the level of technology
being discussed in this instance is unnecessary and
potentially
de-stabilizing.
As you know, the Government
of Chile announced in December its intention to
purchase up to a dozen
F-16C/D aircraft from Lockheed Martin. It is our
understanding that, as part
of the deal, Chilean authorities will request
certain highly advanced
military technology including medium range
air-to-air missiles
(AMRAAM), the LANTIRN navigation system and conformal
fuel tanks. Such advanced
technology would provide a power projection
capability that is not
required for defensive purposes. Furthermore,
Chile's desire for software
source codes for the targeting system raise
serious questions about
transfers of highly specialized U.S. technologies
and our ability to keep them
from falling into the wrong hands.
Permitting the sale of these
advanced technologies is unwarranted for the
following
reasons:
- No military threat - The
region is at peace and most border disputes
have been
resolved;
- Regional stability - No
other military in the region has the capability
the proposed sale would
provide and introducing these technologies may
unnecessarily alarm
neighboring nations;
- Cost - Chile will need to
spend 90% of its acquisition budget for the
next 10 years to cover the
projected $600 million price tag, thereby
delaying other needed
modernization;
- Technology proliferation -
The U.S. needs to safeguard its most
sensitive technologies to
ensure our national security.
Therefore, we strongly urge
you to sell dependable, used F-16s to Chile
while barring the transfer
of power projection technologies such as beyond
visual range missiles,
LANTIRN navigation and targeting systems, conformal
fuel tanks and mid-air
refueling capability. By pursuing this pragmatic
approach the U.S. can still
provide a close ally with modern equipment at a
reasonable price while
maintaining regional stability and limiting the
dangerous dissemination of
advanced military technology.