Kuwait on Saturday took delivery of the first of 40 sophisticated U.S. fighter jets that are to be the backbone of a high-tech new post-gulf war military.
But many senior military officers are hoping for more fundamental changes in the way the armed forces are run. Many are dismayed by the slow pace of reform in the military, which was shattered by the 1990 Iraqi invasion.The three F-18 Hornets that arrived Saturday were the first of 40 being acquired under a $1.6 billion contract to replace the air force's aging A-4 Skyhawks and Mirage F-1s, some of which were lost in the invasion.
"If you have high technology, you don't have to look for bigger manpower," said Defense Minister Sheik Ali al-Sabah. "With smaller manpower, you can have a protective army."
Another eight of the F-18s, which cost $38 million apiece, will be delivered over the next month. The rest of the jets will arrive after the $500 million reconstruction of the al-Ahmadi and al-Jahra air bases, which were wrecked during the war. The runways and hangars should be completed by August.
Other equipment to be delivered from the United States over the next 18 months include 700 Humvees, the modern jeep. The Kuwaitis might also get Hawk anti-aircraft missiles to replace those captured by Iraq, as well as Patriot anti-missile systems.
Orders for tanks and other battlefield equipment await the outcome of an American military study.
Kuwait's military is down to about 10,000 men, including 4,000 in the air force, from a pre-invasion level of around 21,000. An initial recruitment drive attracted only about 2,000 men.
The government has dismissed thousands of stateless troops known as "bidoun" who formed the bulk of the pre-invasion military - many of whom went over to the Iraqi side during the invasion.
A defense pact signed with the United States in September - along with a similar pact to be signed with Britain next month and one under negotiation with France - has lessened Kuwait's security jitters.
Many Kuwaiti colonels and other senior officers, however, believe there should have been a high-level shakeup after the invasion, in which Kuwait's military was immediately routed.
Ten senior air force officers and 250 army officers signed petitions last May demanding the dismissal of up to 30 generals and a military review of what went wrong.