Heinrich Calls for Urgent Support to Jordan in Fight against ISIL

Category: Non-Local News Releases Non-Local News Releases
Published: 04 February 2015 04 February 2015

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Feb. 4, 2105) - Today, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) sent a letter signed by all members of the Senate Armed Services Committee to Secretary of State John Kerry and Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel calling for the urgent provision of military materiel to Jordan required in ongoing operations against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

"The barbaric murder of Lieutenant Muath al-Kasasbeh of the Jordanian Armed Forces at the hands of self-designated Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) reinforced our resolve to stand with Jordan and our coalition partners to defeat ISIL," the senators wrote. "This heinous event reveals a new low for ISIL and highlights the urgent need to support the efforts of Jordan in its fight to secure the integrity of its territory and the stability of the region against violent extremists."

The text of the letter, led by U.S. Senators John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, is below:

Dear Secretary Kerry and Secretary Hagel:

The barbaric murder of Lieutenant Muath al-Kasasbeh of the Jordanian Armed Forces at the hands of self-designated Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) reinforced our resolve to stand with Jordan and our coalition partners to defeat ISIL. This heinous event reveals a new low for ISIL and highlights the urgent need to support the efforts of Jordan in its fight to secure the integrity of its territory and the stability of the region against violent extremists.

His Majesty King Abdullah of Jordan met yesterday afternoon with the Senate Armed Services Committee to discuss this tragic event, his country's ongoing contribution to Operation Inherent Resolve, and the trajectory of the fight in Syria. While he expressed his gratitude for the ongoing assistance provided by the United States, we were concerned to hear from the King that Jordan is experiencing complications and delays in obtaining certain types of military equipment through our foreign military sales system.

Specifically, Jordan is seeking to obtain aircraft parts, additional night vision equipment, and precision munitions that the King feels he needs to secure his border and robustly execute combat air missions into Syria. We understand the need to ensure the integrity of third party transfers, the protection of critical U.S. technologies, and our commitment to the maintenance of a Qualitative Military Edge (QME) for Israel. However, Jordan's situation and the cohesiveness of the coalition demands we move with speed to ensure they receive the military materiel they require for ongoing operations against ISIL. We believe that Jordan's requests need to be addressed expeditiously, commensurate with their urgent operational needs in the fight against ISIL. As such, we urge you to adjudicate the cases associated with various requests made by the Jordanian Armed Forces with a sense of urgency reflecting the pace of events, and in the context of their determined resolve to fight ISIL and the strengthening of our bilateral relationship and security cooperation.

Additionally, we request a briefing to the Committee staff on the requests for any parts, equipment or supplies the State Department is adjudicating for military material relating to Jordan with emphasis on cases associated with current operational needs. That briefing should include: a) a list of cases or requests related to military items that would go to Jordan; b) an explanation of steps needed for approval; and c) an estimated timeline for approval.

We request that this information be provided no later than February 13, 2015.

Thank you for your prompt consideration of the Jordanian request and we look forward to your reply. We stand ready to consider legislation, if necessary, to ensure the objective of Jordan being properly equipped in the fight against violent extremism.

Sincerely,

Content on the Beat

WARNING: All articles and photos with a byline or photo credit are copyrighted to the author or photographer. You may not use any information found within the articles without asking permission AND giving attribution to the source. Photos can be requested and may incur a nominal fee for use personally or commercially.

Disclaimer: If you find errors in articles not written by the Beat team but sent to us from other content providers, please contact the writer, not the Beat. For example, obituaries are always provided by the funeral home or a family member. We can fix errors, but please give details on where the error is so we can find it. News releases from government and non-profit entities are posted generally without change, except for legal notices, which incur a small charge.

NOTE: If an article does not have a byline, it was written by someone not affiliated with the Beat and then sent to the Beat for posting.

Images: We have received complaints about large images blocking parts of other articles. If you encounter this problem, click on the title of the article you want to read and it will take you to that article's page, which shows only that article without any intruders. 

New Columnists: The Beat continues to bring you new columnists. And check out the old faithfuls who continue to provide content.

Newsletter: If you opt in to the Join GCB Three Times Weekly Updates option above this to the right, you will be subscribed to email notifications with links to recently posted articles.

Submitting to the Beat

Those new to providing news releases to the Beat are asked to please check out submission guidelines at https://www.grantcountybeat.com/about/submissions. They are for your information to make life easier on the readers, as well as for the editor.

Advertising: Don't forget to tell advertisers that you saw their ads on the Beat.

Classifieds: We have changed Classifieds to a simpler option. Check periodically to see if any new ones have popped up. Send your information to editor@grantcountybeat.com and we will post it as soon as we can. Instructions and prices are on the page.

Editor's Notes

It has come to this editor's attention that people are sending information to the Grant County Beat Facebook page. Please be aware that the editor does not regularly monitor the page. If you have items you want to send to the editor, please send them to editor@grantcountybeat.com. Thanks!

Here for YOU: Consider the Beat your DAILY newspaper for up-to-date information about Grant County. It's at your fingertips! One Click to Local News. Thanks for your support for and your readership of Grant County's online news source—www.grantcountybeat.com

Feel free to notify editor@grantcountybeat.com if you notice any technical problems on the site. Your convenience is my desire for the Beat.  The Beat totally appreciates its readers and subscribers!  

Compliance: Because you are an esteemed member of The Grant County Beat readership, be assured that we at the Beat continue to do everything we can to be in full compliance with GDPR and pertinent US law, so that the information you have chosen to give to us cannot be compromised.