Watchdog Group Says US F-16 Sales to Chile Will Fundamentally Alter Regional Military Balance

 
On June 13, the Bush administration notified Congress of the sale of 10 advanced F-16 fighter jets and two KC-135 mid-air refueling tankers to Chile. The Chilean deal ends a ban on sales of sophisticated weaponry to Latin America in place since the Carter administration.

The on-line newsletter Arms Trade Insider argues that the Pentagon's official news release announcing the sale makes several false claims. According to the critique, the Pentagon's claim that the sale "will contribute to the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to improve the security of a friendly country" overlooks the fact that the Chilean purchase will spur other countries in the region to purchase similar weapons, leading to an arms escalation that could pose a threat to the security of both Chile and the United States. Furthermore, the newsletter continues, the Pentagon's argument that Chile "has been and will continue to be an important force for political stability and economic progress in South America" is misleading. Chile's political and economic development will not be helped in any way by the arms purchase, the article contends. Instead, resources devoted to military spending will reduce funding for social goals such as education, poverty alleviation, human rights and democracy, and economic integration. Finally, the newsletter concludes, the statement that the proposed sale "will not affect the basic military balance in the region" is also false. "This sale will fundamentally alter the basic military balance in the region," it says, for "no other country in the region can defend against Chile's proposed F-16s, which have advanced, power projection capability. Chile's neighbors will be forced to match Santiago's purchase of jets that can strike deep and accurately into their territory." The article concludes that the F-16 sale to Chile reinforces "a militaristic approach to U.S. foreign policy in a region where it is not needed, and is potentially dangerous."

Arms Trade Insider # 47, June 15, 2001
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