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The Beyond Idiotic Obama Administration: Actually Buying Russian Helicopters To Arm Afganistan?
June 13th, 2012 | 
Author: THE Pentagon has defended plans to buy attack helicopters from a Russian arms firm for the Afghan government even though the same company has supplied weapons to Syria’s regime.
Conservative Refocus Responds: Is this part of Obama’s simplistic Chicago thuggery dealings? To actually buy milllions worth of Russian military helo’s from Authoritarian despots, in order to arm a nation that we have been fighting to control for a decade?
And who, then, will the Afghani’s go to for their next arms replenishment when America leaves in 2014?
Duh! I am becoming increasingly convinced the we have a bunch of nhilistic dufuses running the show up there in the inner beltway, who incidentally, think they are so smart that “stupid” is existentially brilliant….
What are these moronic people in the White House smoking, for God’s sake? How many US Jobs does this Russian purchase represent ? Ever heard of the UH-60 American Helicopter? I mean, seriously, we have what is largely believed to be the best military arsenal in the world, why not one of our attack and transport helos?
Associated Free Press
US senators have voiced dismay at the deal with Rosoboronexport, but defence officials said the contract with the firm was the only way to bolster Afghanistan’s fleet of Russian-made choppers.
“We’re not buying helicopters for the Syrian regime. We’re buying helicopters in support of the Afghan Air Force,” press secretary George Little said.
Senator John Cornyn, in a letter to Defence Secretary Leon Panetta, expressed outrage at the purchase of Mi-17 helicopters for Afghanistan from Rosoboronexport.
“I remain deeply troubled that the DoD (Department of Defence) would knowingly do business with a firm that has enabled mass atrocities in Syria.
“Such actions by Rosoboronexport warrant the renewal of US sanctions against it, not a billion-dollar DoD contract,” Cornyn wrote.
The United States plans to buy 21 Mi-17 helicopters for the Afghan military from Russia’s Rosoboronexport by 2016. The contract totals $375 million by 2016, with an option to buy additional aircraft worth $550 million.
Pentagon spokesman Captain John Kirby said: “This particular contract is the only method legally available to the department to provide those aircraft and, just as importantly, safe and reliable spare parts and equipment to support those aircraft for the Afghan military.”
Russia has refused to stop arms shipments to Syria and has offered diplomatic support to President Bashar al-Assad as he seeks to crush a year-long revolt.
James Miller, under secretary of defence for policy, has acknowledged in a letter to lawmakers that “Rosoboronexport continues to supply weapons and ammunition to the Assad regime and… there is evidence that some of these arms are being used by Syrian forces against Syria’s civilian population.”
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton accused Russia of sending more attack helicopters to Syria and said Moscow was lying about its arms shipments.
The Pentagon said it could not confirm that any new Russian arms shipments had arrived in Syria.
Defence officials also denied that US reliance on Russian territory for a northern supply route into Afghanistan could make Washington reluctant to push Moscow too hard over the violence in Syria.
“I don’t think we’re linking the two (issues),” Kirby said.
“Russia has been extraordinarily helpful, and we’re grateful for the assistance that they’ve offered with respect to logistics routes in and out of northern Afghanistan, but we’re not linking the two,” he said.
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Where does the money come from to buy Russian Helicopters? Out of the DEFENCE BUDGET?
Borrow money from China to buy helicopters from Russia to give to Afghanistan. This is triple dumb.
1. Mi-17 is not an attack helicopter, it’s just a transport. On the picture above IS an attack helicopter (Mi-35M). Afghanistan is supplied only with Mi-17s.
2. Mi-17 is suitable for Afghanistan because it’s simple and efficient and does not require any significant maintenance & ground support. Unlike UH-60
3. If those helicopters would find their way into the enemy hands, would you like them to be outdated and simple Mi-17′s or UH-60?
4. Production lines of UH-60 are loaded with orders and decent countries are really buying them, along with the US military.
The US media leaves one important thing out as usual. Russia has donated $100 million towards training Afghans in servicing and operating and repairing the Helicopters etc. The US is also lucky the Russians did not get petty when they went into Afghanistan and tell them to get stuffed since it was the US to a large degree that helped recruit the Taliban and arm them when the USSR went down there to try and sort out the mess. They had no strategic interest in Afghanistan – they simply did not want another Extremist Muslim Government on there borders. They have to live near that part of the world – the USA does not. That has proved to be one of the dumbest ideas the US ever had in its proxy war with the USSR. Supporting the Taliban who ultimately took control of Afghanistan. I find it strange how the USA seems to develop amnesia about these things very quickly. On Syria Russia would say – “what guarantee do you have any new Government in Syria will be any better than the Assad Government”. Nobody knows – there are not just two sides in Syria – there are multiple sides and the extreme fundamentalist Muslims will be doing everything they can to make sure it is them that gets into power. I can just imagine if that happens. In 10 years time the USA will be huffing and puffing about those nasty Syrians sponsoring terorists etc. Be care-full – it is the Middle East and there are many factions etc. Another Iran or Afghanistan can easily be created.