The wheel has turned full circle. On December 6 last year, a Saudi trainee at the naval airbase in Florida went on a shooting spree. A comprehensive investigation was carried out and it has been decided that more than a dozen Saudi servicemen who are undergoing training in US military installations will be expelled. The shooting took place at the Naval Air Station in Pensacola. This resulted in three American sailors being killed. CNN reported that the Pentagon has initiated a review of all Saudi military trainees in the country, numbering around 850 students.

Accused 21-year-old

The accused person who committed the shooting is a 21-year-old Saudi Air Force second Lieutenant. After a review, some Saudis are reported to have connections to extremist movements. Fox23 has also reported that a number of those being expelled are accused of possessing sexual violation of children material. The FBI and the Justice Department have not commented on these allegations.

The Department of Defense has now restricted classroom training programs for foreign military students. These restrictions will continue until the student vetting procedures are completely revamped.

Trainees confined to quarters

After the shooting, close to a dozen Saudi trainees were confined to their quarters until the investigation by the FBI was completed.

The United States is home to hundreds of military trainees from its ally, Saudi Arabia. The military establishment in the United States seemed surprised at the action of the Saudi military personnel undergoing training. The Saudi government supported the United States but there is no denying the fact that there's obviously an undercurrent of radicalism in the Saudi armed forces.

The shooting at the Pensacola base is likely to be classified as an act of terrorism. None of the expelled trainees have been charged as yet. There is a possibility that there could be other people with issues in the vast number of military trainees undergoing training at US military installations. This shooting is not only a cause for worry to the United States armed forces but also to the Saudi monarchy.

Saudi problem

Possibly, only the tip of the iceberg is visible. There is a chance that though only one shooter emerged, there could be others in the Saudi military establishments who swear by the ideas of this second Lieutenant. This will probably not be a happy thought for the Saudi monarchy. The Saudi's are involved in a struggle for supremacy in the Middle East with Iran which recently launched 22 missiles against US bases in Iraq.

The Saudi monarchy probably has no choice but to back the United States military establishment. Most likely they will also carry out a screening of the men in the Saudi military and try and weed out soldiers and officers who have a radical bent of mind.

Saudi Arabia is an important ally of the United States. Its armed forces should, therefore, be in complete synchronism with the US military thought and actions.