Guest AuthorWe hear a lot of talk from our politicians about security – keeping America secure and keeping our economy secure. I agree that the security of our country and way of life – and securing an economy in this country and particularly this state – are our highest concerns.
For this reason, I would like to remind our political leaders about a program that accomplishes both goals – the F-35 Lightning II. This jet is the stealth fighter of the future and its unmatched technological advances will replace a rapidly aging aviation fleet of legacy fighters. As our enemies’ capabilities threats continue to evolve, the F-35 will ensure the U.S. and its allies are a step ahead. With three different variants for the U.S. Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy, the F-35 is that security.
The F-35 also goes a long way to securing the economy of the nation and the state of Florida. In Florida alone, the F-35 program supports more than 9,600 direct and indirect jobs and has an economic impact of $1 billion dollars annually. In fact, Eglin AFB in Northwest Florida is the site of much of the testing and will likely be the site of most of the training in the months and years ahead. And let’s not forget that the F-35 is being purchased by several of our allies for their own security including: England, Israel, Canada, Japan, Turkey, Italy, Australia, Norway, Denmark and the Netherlands. This is also important in that it represents a significant trade advantage for the United States.
The F-35 is being built and tested at the same time and testing for each variant is ahead of schedule. Noted Forbes contributor Loren Thompson recently wrote in an article entitled “Pentagon’s Best-Kept Secret: F-35 Fighter is Progressing Nicely” that “our international partners are so enthused that new customers are getting in line for the F-35 on a regular basis.”
From an economic standpoint, the F-35 Program is a win-win. But the most important reason that this program should be supported and funded adequately is that it ensures our men and women who serve in our military have the absolute latest technology needed to protect our nation. They deserve the very best America can provide!
So, I would ask each of our elected officials to do everything they can to protect this vital program. Protect the funding necessary to continue the program. The national security of America and its allies and our economy depend on it.
