The Obama administration has stood by Bahrain's ruling family, who are Sunni, during nearly two years of protests by the country's majority Shia population. Bahrain is a longtime ally and the home to a large American naval base, which is considered particularly important amid the current tensions with nearby Iran.
The itemized arms sales list does not include dollar values but a separate document says military equipment worth $51 million was delivered to Bahrain in the year starting in October 2010. (That period includes several months before the protests began.)
The U.S. has long sold weapons to Bahrain, totaling $1.4 billion since 2000, according to the State Department. The sales didn't come under scrutiny until security forces killed at least 19 people in the early months of the crackdown in 2011. (Dozens have died since then.)
The administration put a hold on one proposed sale of Humvees and missiles in Fall 2011 following congressional criticism. But Foreign Policy reported that other unspecified equipment was still being sold without any public notification.
The new documents offer more details on what was sold during that period u2014 including entries related to a "Blackhawk helicopter armament" in November 2011 and a missile system in January 2012.
In May 2012, the administration announced it was releasing some unspecified items to Bahrain's military that "are not used for crowd control" while maintaining a hold on the Humvees and TOW missiles.
State Department spokesman Noel Clay told ProPublica, "We continue to withhold the export of lethal and crowd-control items intended predominately for internal security purposes, and have resumed on a case-by-case basis items related exclusively to external defense, counter-terrorism, and the protection of U.S. forces."
The U.S. has also sold Bahrain a helicopter fit for the royal family.
In September, Missouri-based aviation services firm Sabreliner reported that, as part of an official government arms sale, it delivered to Bahrain a fully customized UH-60 Blackhawk Helicopter for "a variety of missions including transporting heads of state." The aircraft was outfitted with a "clam shell door" for ease of entry, a "new VIP interior," and a "custom Royal Bahraini" paintjob.
In other recent developments in Bahrain, the country's highest court this month upheld lengthy prison sentences for 13 high-profile activists accused of plotting to overthrow the government.
In a rare occurrence in November, a series of homemade bombs were set off in the capital of Manama, killing two and leading some observers to argue that the opposition is growing more militant. Also in November, an Amnesty International report found that despite government promises, "the reform process has been shelved and repression unleashed."
