As the first anniversary of the beginning of the Egyptian Revolution in Tahrir Square approaches,  international focus has shifted to the country’s struggle to maintain the democratic virtues its citizens thought it had wrested from the hands of ex-President Hosni Mubarak.

Hundreds of thousands of people have returned to the square since his ousting in order to preserve the goals of the revolution, but their protests have again been met with violence in many cases, casting a new spotlight on the brutality of Egypt’s remaining military leaders.

Metro Detroit boasts a sizeable Egyptian American and of course Arab American community, but many people don’t realize that one of the biggest U.S. weapons production companies for the Egyptian military resides in Sterling Heights, Michigan: General Dynamics. 

On November 17, just prior to another round of violent attacks on peaceful demonstrators, the Michigan-based company officially announced that its General Dynamics Land Systems business unit had been awarded a $395 million contract funding the production of 125 M1A1 Abrams tank kits.

The company has provided components for the kits since 1992 to be shipped to a facility near Cairo in order to manufacture the tanks. Multiple requests for more information on the contract from the company’s media relations department were not fulfilled as of press time. 

While most of the violence has been perpetrated by troops in Egypt, the continued unchecked spending on support for Egypt’s military has frustrated many local activists including Ron Lare, a rank and file member of UAW 600 and an Occupy Detroit organizer. Lare said that his opinions don’t necessarily reflect that of the union, but said on his own behalf that the situation was disheartening. 

“The military aid to Egypt has been in the spotlight, and that’s what illuminates (what position the U.S. is really taking),” he said. 

He noted that U.S. leaders have reluctantly sided with and spoke in favor of the revolution in Egypt at times but only after careful monitoring of the situation to where it seemed to be headed. 

“It’s like the old saying, ‘Don’t watch what I’m saying, watch what I’m doing,” he said. 

Egyptian American Dr. Ola Elsaid, who is the vice president of ADC-Michigan’s Greater Detroit Chapter and is currently visiting Egypt, spoke on her behalf as well saying that the military spending is too high. 

“As an American, I would like to see a reduction in the military budget and a better focus on creating jobs,” she said. She doesn’t see the tank deal as a direct threat to Egyptians per se, however. 

“Egypt is the second largest recipient of military aid after Israel which receives $3 billion in military aid annually…The military funding allows Egypt to purchase U.S. manufactured goods and services and warrants U.S. Navy warships priority access through the Suez Canal. I see this as an attempt by the U.S administration to bolster manufacturing and exporting weapons around the world as we know, America’s hottest export is weapons.

“Are we worried in Egypt about the tanks deal? No we are not. We still trust that the Egyptian military will never direct its weaponry on civilians even with the recent atrocities that happened. Egyptians will continue their efforts towards a freely elected government by the people and for the people.”