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WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
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Libya
Index
Because of a relatively low level of technical and industrial
development--apart from the petroleum sector--since independence
Libya has been forced to rely on foreign sources of assistance in
its efforts to establish a credible military posture. During the
eighteen years of the monarchy, the Idris government turned to the
West for help in forging a national military system. In the
process, the government entered into a number of treaties and other
agreements of a military nature, particularly with Britain and the
United States. One of the most important of these agreements was
the Treaty of Friendship concluded in 1953 by Britain and Libya
that included reciprocal pledges of assistance in case of an armed
conflict. The treaty, which was to have remained in force for
twenty years, granted the British continued rights to the use of
military bases along the Mediterranean coast in exchange for
extensive military supplies and training assistance.
Similar arrangements concluded with the United States a year
later granted the use of Wheelus Air Base in exchange for military
assistance grants and the purchase of excess stocks of American
weapons. United States military aid was devoted mainly to the
organization and development of the Libyan air force. Many of the
personnel recruited to that new branch received American training,
and most of the aircraft acquired during its early years were
provided by the United States.
Since the mid-1970s, arms deliveries to Libya have originated
predominantly in the Soviet Union and other communist countries.
According to ACDA, these sources accounted for 60 percent of total
military imports between 1981 and 1985. Such sources included the
Soviet Union (US$4.6 billion), Czechoslovakia (US$875 million),
People's Republic of China (US$320 million), and Poland (US$300
million). Major western sources were France (mostly naval craft
previously ordered) at US$725 million and Italy, which provided
transfers amounting to US$850 million. The Federal Republic of
Germany (West Germany) was the only other significant West European
source, furnishing US$180 million worth of equipment. Such other
suppliers as Brazil and Yugoslavia accounted for a further US$2.6
billion.
Data as of 1987
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