U.S. trains troops in 34 countries

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33774, 21 February 1975, Page 13

U.S. trains troops in 34 countries

(By

JOHN W. FINNEY,

of the "New York Times," through N.Z.P.A.)

WASHINGTON, February 19.

The United States Defence Department reported today that under contracts worth SNZ 545.25 m Government and private teams were training military staff in 34 foreign countries.

The bulk of the training programmes are in Iran and Saudi Arabia, both of which turned to the Pentagon for technical assistance as they purchased large amounts of sophisticated American arms in recent years. Iran has $NZ235.50m in contracts with the Pentagon to train military staff in everything from logistics to flying and maintaining helicopters and supersonic fighter planes. Saudi Arabia has $NZ271.50m in contracts, including the 5NZ59.75m contract recently awarded to Vinnell Corporation of Alhambra, California, to train four battalions of the Saudi Arabian National Guard. It was the disclosure of the: Vinnell contract, which was originally announced by thei Pentagon last month without' any mention of Saudi Arabia, that prompted the Defence Department to make the first full public listing of its technical assistance and training contracts with foreign countries.

At the same time, the Defence Department sought to emphasise that the training programmes, increasingly conducted by commercial firms under a contract between the foreign Government and the Pentagon, were nothing new but part of a pattern set in the early 1950 s with the establishment of the Military Assistance programme.

Since 1950. the United States has trained 428,000 foreign military staff, some in this country, others aboard

by U.S. military assistance advisory groups. The Vinnell contract, which has drawn some critical Congressional reaction, thus t.as described by defence officials as not unique but rather “a slight variation” in the past

pattern in that a private contractor was being used to train foreign troops in the use of weapons and tactics. In the past such training of troops normally was done by U.S. military advisers. More and more, however, the Pentagon is turning to private contractors to provide the technical assistance to foreign troops. As the Pentagon figures made clear, major defence contractors increasingly are in the business of selling technical services as well as arms to foreign countries.

In part, this increasing reliance upon private contractors by the Pentagon is to stop a drain on skilled military staff who are needed by the U.S. military services to maintain the same type of modem equipment being provided the foreign countries. In many cases, the private contractors are providing training in the maintenance and use of equipment and weapons they are selling to the foreign countries. In part, however, the Pentagon move is in response to a Congressional mandate, incorporated in last year's military sales legislation, instructing the Defence Department “to reduce the role of the United States Government in furnishing of defence articles and services” and to “return such transactions to commercial channels.”

To illustrate that the Vinnel contract was not unique, Defence officials pointed out that the Pentagon previously had entered into a 5NZ104.25 million contract with the Bendix Corporation to provide training in maintenance and supply operations for the artillery of the Saudi Arabian National Guard. Under the eight-year contract, paid for by the Saudi Government, Bendix has assembled a team of 7000 civilian technicans to train the) Saudi troops. Under the auspices of the Defence Department, the 1

Northrup Corporation recently entered into a $NZ109.50 million contract to furnish a 545-man team to train Saudi troops to fly and maintain the F 5 fighter plane sold to Saudi Arabia.

In Iran, the Bell Helicopter Company has a 5NZ191.25 million contract to train 1500 helicopter pilots and 5000 mechanics, the Raytheon

Company has a 5NZ24.375 million contract to train Iranians in the use and maintenance of the Hawk anti-aircraft missile, and McDonnell Douglas, Westinghouse and General Electric maintain a 117-man team under a $NZ5.25 million contract to do maintenance on various planes in the Iranian Air Force.