Photo from Air Force Association of CanadaDavid Archibald, Daily Caller: Donald Trump And The F-35
Anyone still puzzled by the rise of Donald Trump should consider this fact – that Congress voted the 2016 Defense Budget to include 10 extra F-35s beyond the number requested by the Pentagon. This comes at a cost of $1.33 billion when the United States is saddled with $18 trillion of federal debt and the budget can’t stretch to all the things the U.S. military actually does need. The House of Representatives and the Senate have been controlled by the Republican Party since the mid-term elections of November 2014. So the extra F-35s are a gift from the Republican establishment to Lockheed Martin. Those 10 aircraft will join the 180 already completed F-35s, none of which has met performance specifications and all unable to fly in combat.
Lockheed Martin maintains a stable of 95 lobbyists in Washington. Lockheed Martin’s board includes a former vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Joseph Ralston, and a former Commander, Air Force Materiel Command, Bruce Carlson. Nearly one in ten congressmen belong to the F-35 caucus.
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WNU Editor: Considering the money and backing behind the F-35 program .... I doubt that anyone can kill the F-35 program right now .... even a President Donald Trump.
Archibald is correct that the F-35 system is a product of the corruption that is prevalant. But corruption can't provide a system that actually performs capably, and the F-35 is years away from that.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile the project office has fallen way behind on contract awards, while the Navy and foreign countries are understandably not enthusiatic on wasting money on a faulty system which is not useful. (The Air Force and Marines are all in, but eight other countries are involved in this joint program.) This is at a time when scarce dollars are needed for systems which actually work.
An honest politician in the US Congress is one who when he's bought, stays bought. Let's see how "honest" they are when faced with stark realities.
Never say never.
ReplyDeleteThe reality is, there is no plan B.
ReplyDelete