New US Aid Package May Include More F-35 Fighter Jets For Israel
Source: Israel Hayom Staff and Reuters
Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon wraps up two-day visit to Washington • U.S. set to offer Israel "compensation package" in wake of Iran nuclear deal • Package will likely include an increase of annual U.S. military aid to Israel.
Shlomo Cesana, Daniel Siryoti, Israel Hayom Staff and Reuters
Thursday October 29, 2015
Wrapping up his two-day visit to Washington, Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon took part in a joint press conference with U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter at the Pentagon on Wednesday.
"These are especially turbulent years in our region, with states collapsed and being replaced by various entities and terror organizations, many affiliated with global jihad and Islamic State, one fighting against other, glorifying death and destruction and challenging the entire U.S.-led Western world," Ya'alon said. "Some of these terror entities are founded, armed and trained by Iran, who, despite the nuclear agreement, continues ... to view America as a great Satan and Israel as a small one."
Carter said, "For Israel, the current regional situation presents daily threats to the state, its economy, and its democracy. As we have since its founding, the United States stands with Israel, and we always will."
One of the main topics of discussion during Ya'alon's trip to Washington was the "compensation package" of military aid the U.S. is set to offer Israel in the wake of the Iran nuclear deal. According to Ya'alon, the purpose of the package is to "strengthen the power and capabilities of the IDF in a way that will enable it to maintain its significant qualitative advantage, in light of the security threats Israel faces."
Read more: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=29289
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winstars
(4,220 posts)erronis
(15,306 posts)Living in a rural NE state which is destined to receive a flank/squadron/smattering/whatever of these behemoths in the next 5-10-30 years (who know), they are the last thing that you would wish on a friend.
Does Israel even have the runway length? Oh, of course, yes - over the occupied Palestine lands.
Noise pollution? No worries - those Arabs shouldn't be there anyway.
Enough snarks. Why would Israel want F35's to fight another war against Egypt, Lebanon, Syria? By the time they are in the air they are already way past those borders - almost into Iran... Oh, I'm slow...
And it shouldn't take more than 30 minutes to be in southern USSR (whoops Putin-land).
I think the Israeli's might have a death wish.
George II
(67,782 posts)Bernie Sanders Doubles Down on F-35 Support Days After Runway Explosion
By Carl Gibson, Reader Supported News
03 June 14
Me: “You mentioned wasteful military spending. The other day ... I’m sure you’ve heard about the F-35 catching fire on the runway. The estimated lifetime expense of the F-35 is $1.2 trillion. When you talk about cutting wasteful military spending, does that include the F-35 program?”
Bernie Sanders: “No, and I’ll tell you why – it is essentially built. It is the airplane of the United States Air Force, Navy, and of NATO. It was a very controversial issue in Vermont. And my view was that given the fact that the F-35, which, by the way, has been incredibly wasteful, that’s a good question. But for better or worse, that is the plane of record right now, and it is not gonna be discarded. That’s the reality.”
That was the exchange I had with US senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) at a town hall in Warner, New Hampshire, this past weekend (skip to the 45:30 mark of this video to hear my question). Sanders came to New Hampshire to gauge the local response to his economic justice-powered platform for a presumed 2016 presidential campaign. While his rabid defense of Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid and takedown of big money running politics was well-received, he contradicted his position of eliminating wasteful military spending while defending the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program.
The Lockheed Martin F-35 is the epitome of Pentagon waste. The program has already cost taxpayers roughly half a trillion dollars, with $700 billion or more to come during the program’s lifetime. During an interview, Pierre Sprey, a co-designer of the F-16, went into great detail about how the F-35 was a lemon aircraft. Sprey explained that the fighter is an excessively heavy gas guzzler with small wings, a low bomb-carry capacity, low loiter time, is incapable of slow flight, is detectable to World War II-era low-frequency radar, and costs $200 million apiece. And just a little over a week ago, the F-35 caught fire on a runway at Eglin Air Force Base.
To his credit, Sanders acknowledged that the program was “wasteful” in his defense of it. The contention over the F-35 in his home state of Vermont is that the program is now responsible for jobs in his hometown of Burlington, where he served as mayor before running for Congress. Some front doors of homes in the Burlington area are adorned with green ribbons, signifying support for the F-35. Sanders, like his colleagues in 45 states around the country, doesn’t want to risk the wrath of voters angry about job losses related to F-35 manufacturing, assembly, and training if the program were to be cut. And that’s where Lockheed Martin’s political savvy comes into play.
AngryAmish
(25,704 posts)Response to Purveyor (Original post)
misterhighwasted This message was self-deleted by its author.
George II
(67,782 posts)erronis
(15,306 posts)I have a hard time (as a Vermonter) reconciling these votes. There is a typically-funded Chamber of Commerce and other vested interests that lean on these reps. I'm not defending them on this at all but do understand why they need to pick their battles.
Response to George II (Reply #3)
misterhighwasted This message was self-deleted by its author.
odd_duck
(107 posts)and 'spreading the wealth around' in Israel is OK...........
Paper Roses
(7,473 posts)I'm sick of it. When will our government stop arming the world and forsaking those at home?
cstanleytech
(26,299 posts)to have it go so far over budget, I suspect though that if such an investigation is done that they will find alot of graft and kickbacks.