James Miller, the Pentagon’s new policy chief, wrote a letter to legislators defending the lucrative deal with Rosoboronexport, a firm that until 2010 was barred from doing business with the government because of its tendency to sell arms to rogue states Syria and Iran. “The [helicopter] acquisition effort is critical to building the capacity of Afghanistan security forces and supports the president’s continuing efforts to build improved relations with Russia,” Miller wrote on March 30, reports Bloomberg’s Tony Capaccio.
Miller didn’t deny that Rosoboronexport is also deeply engaged in the ongoing Syrian slaughter. In fact, he conceded it in his letter to Texas Sen. John Cornyn, who’s trying to stop the deal: “I share your concern that Rosoboronexport continues to supply weapons and ammunition to the Assad regime and acknowledge there is evidence that some of these arms are being used by Syrian forces against Syria’s civilian population.”
More:
http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2012/05/pentagon-rosoboronexport/
