WASHINGTON, November 27 (Sputnik) – The US State Department has approved the sale to Iraq of a transport aircraft sustainment package worth $800 million, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) has announced.
The proposed sale would not "alter the basic military balance in the region" nor would it have an "adverse impact on US defense readiness", the DSCA said in a statement Wednesday.
According to the statement, the sustainment package will include equipment, parts, service, maintenance and logistical support for a fleet of Lockheed Martin transport planes, which will allow the Iraqi air force to continue conducting humanitarian relief operations beyond 2015.
The deal qualifies as part of the Foreign Military Sales program, which is a form of security assistance and, according to the DSCA website, a fundamental tool of US foreign policy. It authorizes the President to sell defense-related equipment and services to partner nations in order to strengthen national security.
DSCA is the US Defense Department's lead agency for executing security cooperation programs with countries like Iraq.
