Saudis resume flight training

Saudi Arabian military students resumed flight training Feb. 25 in the U.S., after a Saudi 2nd Lieutenant-student killed three U.S. naval aviation students at NAS Pensacola, Fla., on Dec. 6, the Navy announced. Saudi Arabian International Military Students (IMS) resumed flight training “after the Navy satisfied the requirements set forth by the Secretary of Defense,” the statement read. The Navy did not immediately release the number of students that returned to training. At the time of the shooting, 140 Saudi Arabian students were training at NASP, 140 at NAS Whiting Field, and about 128 at NAVSTA Mayport, all in Florida. The service grounded Saudi students following the shooting and the subsequent investigation. In January, 21 Saudi students were ejected from training. There was no evidence of assistance or pre-knowledge of the attack by other members of the Saudi military, or other foreign nationals, training in the U.S., according to U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr. Foreign military training is a key component of the U.S. foreign military sales program and long-term diplomacy tool. About 5,100 members of foreign militaries, representing 153 countries, attend training, professional development courses for officers, or are students at the U.S. military’s undergraduate and graduate-level colleges, according to the State Department. “Foreign military training remains one of the most effective tools to advance U.S. national security, and … enable(s) the Navy to continue to strengthen our alliances and build our partnerships,” read the Navy statement. (Source: USNI New 02/26/20) "Sources have shared that the Pensacola region may get as many as 300 Saudi trainees," according to Rick's Blog in Pensacola Inweekly of Feb. 26. https://news.usni.org/2020/02/26/navy-resumes-flight-training-of-saudi-students-after-pensacola-shooting