By Kevin McCauley
American Business Development Group represents French shipbuilder DCNS, which is in the midst of a controversial deal to sell at least two amphibious warships to Russia. The deal marks the first sale of advanced weaponry to Russia by a NATO country.
The Washington Post reported that the sale "signaled a triumph for French president Nicholas Sarkozy’s relentless salesmanship and a boost for France’s sagging defense industry and 10 percent unemployment rate." The French Government owns a 10 percent stake in DCNS.
The announcement of the $1.2B deal for the Mistral-class helicopter carriers was made on Christmas Eve. It met with a storm of opposition from Russia’s neighboring countries and fellow former members of the Soviet Union, Estonia, Lithuania and Georgia. The ships can carry up to 450 troops and 16 helicopters.
According to Wikileaks, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates objected to the proposed Mistral sale to Russia during a conversation with Sarkozy early last year.
DCNS and STX France will build two of the ships at St-Nazaire on France’s Atlantic coast. The next two will be built in St. Petersburg.
ABDG is headed by Bill Skipper. It is positioned as a full-service business development, sales/marketing and legislative consulting firm.
The Kurdish regional government of Iraq is among ABDG’s clients.
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