The Front Page Cover
2016 The truth will set you free
Featuring:
TIme to Walk Away From US Aid
by Caroline Glick
~~~
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Khan's Sacrifice and nObama's Trash Talk
Barack nObama isn't one to shy away from controversy. On the contrary, he's usually right at the center of the scrum. It was no different when he addressed the Disabled American Veterans Convention Monday and weighed in on the controversy over Gold Star families. "As commander in chief," nObama declared, "I'm pretty tired of some folks trash-talkin' America's military 'n troops." He then praised each branch of the military with entirely appropriate evaluations of their abilities and might.
But for nObama to position himself and his party as the true patriots in this election is a BIG lie. Yes, our Armed Forces are still the best in the world. However, nObama has weakened them at every turn with sequestration and other budget cuts, and, worse, with his leftist social engineering policies that have driven military morale to dangerous lows. And that's not to mention what he's done with veterans here at home, who have died by the thousands waiting for care from Veterans Affairs. On a global scale, nObama and liar-Hillary Clinton have made it more dangerous for our military with their disastrous policies.
As for liar-Clinton, she began this whole kerfuffle by carefully selecting just the right Gold Star family — two Muslim immigrants; Khizr Khan is even an immigration attorney — to speak at the Democrat convention and bait Donald Trump. Unfortunately, he took the bait, but she is the one who cast the line.
It's worth noting that Captain Humayun Khan was killed in 2004 while saving other soldiers from a suicide bomber in a car in Iraq — the war nObama and liar-Clinton abandoned for political gain. He served honorably and was awarded a Purple Heart and the Bronze Star Medal for his valor. And his family represents the moderate Muslims both Democrats and Republicans say they hope to assimilate. Sadly, instead of honoring Capt. Khan's sacrifice, our political "leaders" have turned him and his family into a political football. -The Patriot Post
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Judicial Activists Dismantling Voter ID Laws
Judicial activism is taking a heavy toll at the state level, where the conservative groundswell generated by Barack nObama's leftist agenda is taking hit after hit. Unfortunately of late, four states with voter ID laws have suffered stinging defeats. It began on July 20 in Texas, where the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ordered the state's "discriminatory" ID requirement law to be amended by the lower courts.
Then, on Friday, North Carolina and Wisconsin were dealt similar blows. In the Tar Heel State, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals invalidated voter identification requirements, arguing such laws are onerous because they "target African Americans with almost surgical precision." Meanwhile, in the Midwest, U.S. District Judge James Peterson decreed, "The Wisconsin experience demonstrates that a preoccupation with mostly phantom election fraud leads to real incidents of disenfranchisement," thus the Badger State's "strict version of voter ID law is a cure worse than the disease."
Unfortunately, the setbacks didn't end there — and probably won't for some time — as yesterday North Dakota joined the ranks. According to U.S. District Judge Daniel L. Hovland, "[I]t is clear that a safety net is needed for those voters who simply cannot obtain a qualifying voter ID with reasonable effort." He went on to argue, "Voter fraud in North Dakota has been virtually non-existent." Furthermore, "The undisputed evidence before the court reveals that Native Americans face substantial and disproportionate burdens in obtaining each form of ID deemed acceptable under the new law."
None of these laws were repealed through the ballot box, rather by judges who ignored state legislatures, elected by their constituents with knowledge of what's best for their state. As Thomas Jefferson warned, "The judiciary of the United States is the subtle corps of sappers and miners constantly working under ground to undermine the foundations of our confederated fabric." That's why, in the words of John Adams, "[J]udges, therefore, should be always men of learning and experience in the laws, of exemplary morals, great patience, calmness, coolness, and attention." -The Patriot Post
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Charity funds diverted to arm Hamas terrorists
{israelnationalnews.com} ~ One of the world’s largest humanitarian charities has been duped for years into funding the Hamas terror organization, the Shin Bet security agency revealed on Thursday... The World Vision group, a multi-billion dollar Christian charity with more than 45,000 employees, unknowingly funded the Hamas terror group in Gaza for roughly a decade after a member of Hamas, Muhammad Halabi, infiltrated World Vision in 2005. According to the Shin Bet’s report Thursday, Halabi funneled millions of dollars intended for humanitarian use towards the terrorist group... http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/215981
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liar-Hillary Clinton lies through her
teeth on Fox News Sunday
{gopthedailydose.com} ~ liar-Hillary Clinton granted her first exclusive post-nomination interview to Chris Wallace and Fox News Sunday and when confronted with direct questions about the terror attacks in Benghazi... and her exclusive use of an unauthorized, non-secure email server for government work she lied like a cheap rug. Look at this exchange over the findings of FBI Director James Comey who, while testifying under oath before the House Oversight Committee, confirmed that almost every public statement from Secretary liar-Clinton regarding the email scandal had been false:... http://gopthedailydose.com/2016/08/03/watch-moments-hillary-clinton-lies-teeth-fox-news-sunday-video/
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Dept. Of Justice Tried To Stop nObama’s $400,000,000 Million Payment To Iran
by Jeff Dunetz
{lidblog.com} ~ The White House and State Department spent most of the last 24 hours trying to convince America that the $400,000,000 payment secretly shipped to Iran the exact same day Iran released American hostages not a ransom payment... Following up on their original story, the Wall Street Journal is reporting that the Department of Justice objected to both nObama concessions involved in the deal. The two nObama concessions last January to at the same time as the hostage release, were the $400 million which was supposedly the first part of a $1.7-billion-dollar settlement nObama reached with Iran to resolve a decades-old dispute over a failed arms deal signed just before the 1979 fall of the Shah, and freeing or stopping to pursue 21 Iranian operatives. Apparently the Justice Department objected to both of those...
Arabs Must Turn a New Page with Israel
by Fred Maroun
by Fred Maroun
{gatestoneinstitute.org} ~ There is much that we can do to improve our relationship with Israel -- if we want to -- and there is good reason to think that it would be in both our short- and long-term interest if we did... The most critical change is in approach. Changing that would start to repair the foundation of the relationship and would provide a basis for mutual respect and trust, without which any solution would remain fragile. We must see the real Israel rather than the monstrosity that Arabs have been brainwashed to see. We are so afraid to call Israel by its real name that we refer to it as the "Zionist entity". The name is "Israel"; as written in Haaretz, "Israel has been the name of an ethnic group in the Levant going back at least 3200 years". The standard Arab narrative about Israel is that it is the result of Western colonialism. This language has also been adopted by many, who claim that "settler colonialism that began with the Nakba ... in 1948", implying that all of Israel is a colony. This claim is not true, and no healthy relationship can be built while one side keeps repeating lies about the other...
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Nuclear Crisis at Incirlik?
by DR. PETER VINCENT PRY
by DR. PETER VINCENT PRY
{familysecuritymatters.org} ~ On Sunday, July 31, thousands of Turks mobbed the gates of the NATO airbase at Incirlik, threatening to seize the facility from the U.S. for allegedly supporting a failed military coup attempt against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan... Earlier, the base was cut-off from electricity and plunged into blackout, allegedly according to some sources by orders of the Erdogan government. Stored at Incirlik are as many as 90 B-61 tactical nuclear bombs, according to estimates by various press reports. This would comprise half of European NATO's tactical nuclear deterrent. Some 180 U.S. B-61 nuclear bombs are stored in Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, and Turkey for use by U.S. and NATO fighter-bombers. The U.S. should immediately remove all nuclear weapons from Turkey and relocate them in European NATO countries or bring them back to the United States. Why the nObama administration has not yet done so is a mystery... http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/publications/detail/nuclear-crisis-at-incirlik?f=must_reads
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Defusing the Ticking “nObamaBomb”
by ANDREW E. HARROD
by ANDREW E. HARROD
{familysecuritymatters.org} ~ "nObamaBomb: A Dangerous and Growing National Security Fraud" is former CIA Analyst Fred Fleitz scathing condemnation of what he called an "aberration by one of America's worst and most incompetent presidents... " Written for the one-year anniversary of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on July 14 and presented by the author in Washington, D.C. for the Endowment for Middle East Truth and the Heritage Foundation, this book thoroughly validates that assessment. In the book's foreword, Fleitz's current boss, Center for Security Policy President Frank Gaffney, summarized the Iran nuclear deal as the "worst diplomatic agreement in my lifetime - and, arguably, in American history." According to Gaffney, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action guarantees that the Iranian government will eventually have nuclear weapons in its possession. "In the meantime, it enriches them and enables them to engage in jihad, terrorism and subversion." The unsigned JCPOA "is utterly unverifiable and unenforceable," he added. "It undermines our allies. It will exacerbate nuclear proliferation, not preclude it."... http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/publications/detail/defusing-the-ticking-obamabomb?f=must_reads
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Enabling the Iranian
Threat With American Money
by SECURE FREEDOM MINUTE
by SECURE FREEDOM MINUTE
{familysecuritymatters.org} ~ There he goes again. President nObama sent $400 million to the mullahs in Tehran in what appears to be the latest in a continuing effort to appease and enrich some of our most dangerous enemies... Predictably, what amounts to a ransom payment for American hostages has prompted the Iranian regime to seize more. Speaking of American funds helping our enemies, Rep. Mike Pompeo of Kansas has launched a congressional inquiry into the $700,000 in contributions to National Public Radio by a group that slavishly promoted the mullahs' line on Mr. nObama's fraudlent nuclear deal with Iran. Even NPR's own internal watchdog was concerned about the apparent connection between the money given to the network by the Ploughshares Fund and the favorable treatment NPR gave to its pro-Iran propaganda. All those helping Iran become more dangerous must be held accountable. http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/publications/detail/enabling-the-iranian-threat-with-american-money?f=must_reads
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Europeans Abolished Slavery;
Africans/Muslims Still Practice It
by IIana Mercer
{frontpagemag.com} ~ First he exposed the History Channel’s miniseries “Roots” as root-and-brunch fiction. Now, the courageous epistolary warrior Kunta (Jack) Kerwick has turned his attention to correcting lies about slavery, promulgated in media and scholarly circles... A point forcefully made by Kerwick is that although a vibrant, indigenous slave trade was conducted well into the nineteenth century in the interior of West Africa, slavery has become the White Man’s cross to bear. Also omitted, in the course of the “honest” conversation about race directed by our political masters, is that credit for the demise of the slave trade in Africa belongs to Europeans. In his compact study, The Slave Trade, British historian Jeremy Black (London, 2006), highlights the “leading role Britain played in the abolition of slavery as… an example of an ethical foreign policy.” Britain agonized over this repugnant institution, failed to reconcile it with the Christian faith, and consequently abolished it... http://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/263735/europeans-abolished-slavery-africansmuslims-still-ilana-mercer
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TIme to Walk Away From US Aid
by Caroline Glick
{truthrevolt.org} ~ On Monday, acting head of the National Security Council Yaakov Nagel will sit down with his US counterpart, Susan Rice, and try to conclude negotiations about a new, multi-year defense assistance package.
We must all hope that he fails.
No clear Israeli interest will be advanced by concluding the aid deal presently on the table.
Indeed, the deal now being discussed will cause Israel massive, long-term economic and strategic damage. This is true for a number of reasons.
First, there is the issue of the deal’s impact on Israel’s military industries, which are the backbone of Israel’s strategic independence.
Under the current defense package, which is set to expire next year, a quarter of the US aid Israel receives is converted to shekels and spent domestically.
Reportedly, the deal now under negotiation will bar Israel from using any of the funds domestically.
The implications for our military industries are dire. Not only will thousands of Israelis lose their jobs. Israel’s capacity to develop its own weapons systems will be dangerously diminished.
Then there is the problem of joint projects.
Today, Israel receives additional US funds to develop joint projects, including the Iron Dome and David’s Sling short range missile and rocket defense programs. These programs were undertaken in response to threats that weren’t foreseen when the current deal was negotiated a decade ago.
According to reports, the deal now being negotiated denies Israel and the US the ability to fund jointly new projects or to provide supplemental funding for existing projects. All funding for all projects will be covered by the lump sum that is currently being negotiated.
Not only does this preclude new projects, it prevents Congress from exercising oversight over administration funding of existing joint projects with Israel. President Barack nObama has consistently tried to slash funding of missile defense programs, only to be overridden by Congress. Under the deal now on the table, Congress will be denied the power to override a hostile administration.
Given the obvious problems with the aid program currently being proposed by the nObama administration, there’s little wonder that until now, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has publicly stated that if necessary, Israel is ready to wait for the next administration. Some argue that Netanyahu’s apparent newfound interest in concluding negotiations on nObama’s terms owes to his fear that this is the best offer Israel is likely to get. Both liar-Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump for various reasons, it is argued, will be less likely to offer significant increases in US military assistance.
Assuming this is accurate, the question becomes whether Israel has an interest in the assistance at all.
And so we come to the F-35.
For Israel, to a significant degree, the aid package on offer is about the F-35, the US’s fifth generation fighter, otherwise known as the Joint Strike Fighter.
Last month Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman and IAF Chief of Staff Brig.-Gen Tal Kelman flew to Texas to ceremonially “take possession” of Israel’s first two F-35s. Both aircraft are set to be delivered to Israel in December.
To date, the IAF has purchased 33 F-35s – all with US aid money. The IAF wants to purchase a total of 75 F-35s, which are supposed to replace the F-16s and the F-15s that the IAF currently fields.
As Liberman made clear during his visit, whether Israel purchases them or not is entirely dependent on the aid deal.
We should not take them. We should walk away.
And we should walk away even if we receive nothing in exchange for the planes we reject.
The F-35 is a disaster of epic proportions, for the US first and foremost. If Israel agrees to base its next generation fighters on the F-35, it will be a disaster for us as well. Although it is late in the game, we need to cut our losses.
To date, the F-35 has cost the US $400 billion.
That is twice what it was supposed to cost. The project is already four years behind schedule and still in development. It won’t be operational until May 2018 – at the earliest.
The F-35 is a jet that was developed by a committee and tasked with doing everything. So it isn’t surprising that it doesn’t work. In February, J. Michael Gilmore, the director of the Pentagon’s Operational Test and Evaluation office, submitted a scathing report to Congress on the F-35 program.
It is worth going through just a few of his findings.
The F-35’s calling card is its stealth capacity.
According to the engineers at Lockheed Martin, the JSF is supposed to be all-but-invisible to radar systems. Its stealth system is supposed to be far superior to the stealth capabilities of its third generation predecessors.
But at present, its stealth systems do not work, and it is unclear whether they will ever work as planned.
First there is the problem with the JSF’s cooling systems. The JSF is too hot. To prevent its single engine from melting down in flight, pilots are forced to open its weapons bays at high speeds and altitudes every 10 minutes. When the weapons bays are open, the stealth systems do not work.
Then there is the software. The F-35 is considered one big flying computer. It uses over 20 million lines of computer code. These codes are supposed to make it the most maneuverable and stealthy aircraft in history. The problem is that the codes are defective. The software programs that enable the plane to fly, maneuver, and engage in combat are all defective. So are the software programs that control the plane’s stealth capabilities.
And fixing them is not a simple process.
The fixed software systems can’t simply be attached to existing hardware – or to existing planes. The planes themselves have to be rebuilt to adjust to the new software. So the models that have already been produced, including the two F-35s that are set for delivery in December, will all have to be rebuilt before they will be combat ready.
And as a panel of US defense and aviation experts that convened in late February following the publication of Gilmore’s report noted, that too will take time and cost hundreds of millions of dollars.
Another major problem is that the F-35’s nerve center is dysfunctional and there is no clear path to fixing it. The F-35 is controlled by the Autonomic Logistics Information System. The ALIS is a central computer system, located in the US.
All F-35s all over the world will be required to log into the ALIS system to upload computer files after each flight and to check flight readiness. The ALIS is supposed to identify broken parts and help speed up repairs and handle mission data uploads.
ALIS has the capacity to prevent F-35s from taking off. ALIS can lock out pilots and ground crews if it sees danger. If this happens, maintenance technicians have to convince the computer that they either dealt with the issues the computer identified or that it was a false alarm.
Dan Grazier, a member of that panel, whose deliberations were reported by This Week, warned that this power renders the entire F-35 fleet vulnerable to hackers. If someone were able to convince the computer that something was wrong across the fleet, they might be able to keep all the F-35s grounded. Although the damage wouldn’t be permanent, it could continue long enough to cause the US or an ally to lose a battle or fail a mission.
For Israel, this vulnerability is prohibitive even if ALIS is ever made to work. The significance of ALIS control over all F-35s worldwide is that the US – and anyone able to hack the US system – will control the IAF. It will operate at the pleasure of the US government, and those able to hack US computers. They will be able to ground IAF planes whenever they wish.
This critical problem was acknowledged obliquely by Lt.-Col. Yotam, the commander of Israel’s first F-35 or Adir squadron, in an interview with Israel Defense in April.
Lt.-Col. Yotam said, “The maintenance concept of the Adir is based on international management and logistics in terms of spare parts and maintenance echelons.”
Israeli experts note that although in theory Israel will be able to crack the ALIS code and override it, it will take years to develop such a capacity. In the meantime, the IAF will become a contract employee of the US government whose operation is subject to US approval on a flight by flight basis.
The US Air Force, Marines and Navy are all trying to figure out how to deal with the deficiencies of the F-35. There is a vague hope that the US will develop a different fifth generation fighter.
More F-18s and A-10s will likely be ordered. Deputy Defense Secretary Robert Work told Fighting Global that he foresees using the current batch of F-15s into the 2040s. In other words, the US Air Force will deploy 70-year-old planes alongside the defective F-35s.
This, of course, is a disaster for the US. And if Israel goes ahead with the F-35 project it will be an even bigger disaster for us.
Back when the Pentagon convinced the Shamir government to scrap the Lavi project and purchase the F-16, the argument that won the day was economic. The Lavi was simply too expensive.
Today, both economics and strategic arguments indicate that the opposite is the case, even if walking away involves ending US military aid.
If Israel cuts its losses and begins to develop a fifth generation jet fighter that meets its own specific needs, rather than one designed by a committee to meet other countries’ needs poorly, it will end up both far safer and far more prosperous than if it goes ahead with the F-35 project. It will produce a better plane, better suited for Israeli defense needs, and simultaneously stimulate the growth of Israeli military industries, providing jobs for thousands of Israelis.
If Israel walks away from the military assistance package currently under discussion, it will be in a position to sign joint development deals with the US and other governments on a project by project basis and so ensure that we develop the weapons systems we need, not the ones the US thinks we should have, as we need them. Just as India is investing billions of dollars in joint projects with Israel, so will the US in the future.
It is far from clear that the US can afford its $400b. white elephant. It is abundantly clear that Israel cannot afford it.
Whether or not a Trump or liar-Clinton administration will be more forthcoming is really beside the point. The point is that the US aid deal is really a deal for Lockheed Martin, not for Israel. And we need to say no.
We must all hope that he fails.
No clear Israeli interest will be advanced by concluding the aid deal presently on the table.
Indeed, the deal now being discussed will cause Israel massive, long-term economic and strategic damage. This is true for a number of reasons.
First, there is the issue of the deal’s impact on Israel’s military industries, which are the backbone of Israel’s strategic independence.
Under the current defense package, which is set to expire next year, a quarter of the US aid Israel receives is converted to shekels and spent domestically.
Reportedly, the deal now under negotiation will bar Israel from using any of the funds domestically.
The implications for our military industries are dire. Not only will thousands of Israelis lose their jobs. Israel’s capacity to develop its own weapons systems will be dangerously diminished.
Then there is the problem of joint projects.
Today, Israel receives additional US funds to develop joint projects, including the Iron Dome and David’s Sling short range missile and rocket defense programs. These programs were undertaken in response to threats that weren’t foreseen when the current deal was negotiated a decade ago.
According to reports, the deal now being negotiated denies Israel and the US the ability to fund jointly new projects or to provide supplemental funding for existing projects. All funding for all projects will be covered by the lump sum that is currently being negotiated.
Not only does this preclude new projects, it prevents Congress from exercising oversight over administration funding of existing joint projects with Israel. President Barack nObama has consistently tried to slash funding of missile defense programs, only to be overridden by Congress. Under the deal now on the table, Congress will be denied the power to override a hostile administration.
Given the obvious problems with the aid program currently being proposed by the nObama administration, there’s little wonder that until now, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has publicly stated that if necessary, Israel is ready to wait for the next administration. Some argue that Netanyahu’s apparent newfound interest in concluding negotiations on nObama’s terms owes to his fear that this is the best offer Israel is likely to get. Both liar-Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump for various reasons, it is argued, will be less likely to offer significant increases in US military assistance.
Assuming this is accurate, the question becomes whether Israel has an interest in the assistance at all.
And so we come to the F-35.
For Israel, to a significant degree, the aid package on offer is about the F-35, the US’s fifth generation fighter, otherwise known as the Joint Strike Fighter.
Last month Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman and IAF Chief of Staff Brig.-Gen Tal Kelman flew to Texas to ceremonially “take possession” of Israel’s first two F-35s. Both aircraft are set to be delivered to Israel in December.
To date, the IAF has purchased 33 F-35s – all with US aid money. The IAF wants to purchase a total of 75 F-35s, which are supposed to replace the F-16s and the F-15s that the IAF currently fields.
As Liberman made clear during his visit, whether Israel purchases them or not is entirely dependent on the aid deal.
We should not take them. We should walk away.
And we should walk away even if we receive nothing in exchange for the planes we reject.
The F-35 is a disaster of epic proportions, for the US first and foremost. If Israel agrees to base its next generation fighters on the F-35, it will be a disaster for us as well. Although it is late in the game, we need to cut our losses.
To date, the F-35 has cost the US $400 billion.
That is twice what it was supposed to cost. The project is already four years behind schedule and still in development. It won’t be operational until May 2018 – at the earliest.
The F-35 is a jet that was developed by a committee and tasked with doing everything. So it isn’t surprising that it doesn’t work. In February, J. Michael Gilmore, the director of the Pentagon’s Operational Test and Evaluation office, submitted a scathing report to Congress on the F-35 program.
It is worth going through just a few of his findings.
The F-35’s calling card is its stealth capacity.
According to the engineers at Lockheed Martin, the JSF is supposed to be all-but-invisible to radar systems. Its stealth system is supposed to be far superior to the stealth capabilities of its third generation predecessors.
But at present, its stealth systems do not work, and it is unclear whether they will ever work as planned.
First there is the problem with the JSF’s cooling systems. The JSF is too hot. To prevent its single engine from melting down in flight, pilots are forced to open its weapons bays at high speeds and altitudes every 10 minutes. When the weapons bays are open, the stealth systems do not work.
Then there is the software. The F-35 is considered one big flying computer. It uses over 20 million lines of computer code. These codes are supposed to make it the most maneuverable and stealthy aircraft in history. The problem is that the codes are defective. The software programs that enable the plane to fly, maneuver, and engage in combat are all defective. So are the software programs that control the plane’s stealth capabilities.
And fixing them is not a simple process.
The fixed software systems can’t simply be attached to existing hardware – or to existing planes. The planes themselves have to be rebuilt to adjust to the new software. So the models that have already been produced, including the two F-35s that are set for delivery in December, will all have to be rebuilt before they will be combat ready.
And as a panel of US defense and aviation experts that convened in late February following the publication of Gilmore’s report noted, that too will take time and cost hundreds of millions of dollars.
Another major problem is that the F-35’s nerve center is dysfunctional and there is no clear path to fixing it. The F-35 is controlled by the Autonomic Logistics Information System. The ALIS is a central computer system, located in the US.
All F-35s all over the world will be required to log into the ALIS system to upload computer files after each flight and to check flight readiness. The ALIS is supposed to identify broken parts and help speed up repairs and handle mission data uploads.
ALIS has the capacity to prevent F-35s from taking off. ALIS can lock out pilots and ground crews if it sees danger. If this happens, maintenance technicians have to convince the computer that they either dealt with the issues the computer identified or that it was a false alarm.
Dan Grazier, a member of that panel, whose deliberations were reported by This Week, warned that this power renders the entire F-35 fleet vulnerable to hackers. If someone were able to convince the computer that something was wrong across the fleet, they might be able to keep all the F-35s grounded. Although the damage wouldn’t be permanent, it could continue long enough to cause the US or an ally to lose a battle or fail a mission.
For Israel, this vulnerability is prohibitive even if ALIS is ever made to work. The significance of ALIS control over all F-35s worldwide is that the US – and anyone able to hack the US system – will control the IAF. It will operate at the pleasure of the US government, and those able to hack US computers. They will be able to ground IAF planes whenever they wish.
This critical problem was acknowledged obliquely by Lt.-Col. Yotam, the commander of Israel’s first F-35 or Adir squadron, in an interview with Israel Defense in April.
Lt.-Col. Yotam said, “The maintenance concept of the Adir is based on international management and logistics in terms of spare parts and maintenance echelons.”
Israeli experts note that although in theory Israel will be able to crack the ALIS code and override it, it will take years to develop such a capacity. In the meantime, the IAF will become a contract employee of the US government whose operation is subject to US approval on a flight by flight basis.
The US Air Force, Marines and Navy are all trying to figure out how to deal with the deficiencies of the F-35. There is a vague hope that the US will develop a different fifth generation fighter.
More F-18s and A-10s will likely be ordered. Deputy Defense Secretary Robert Work told Fighting Global that he foresees using the current batch of F-15s into the 2040s. In other words, the US Air Force will deploy 70-year-old planes alongside the defective F-35s.
This, of course, is a disaster for the US. And if Israel goes ahead with the F-35 project it will be an even bigger disaster for us.
Back when the Pentagon convinced the Shamir government to scrap the Lavi project and purchase the F-16, the argument that won the day was economic. The Lavi was simply too expensive.
Today, both economics and strategic arguments indicate that the opposite is the case, even if walking away involves ending US military aid.
If Israel cuts its losses and begins to develop a fifth generation jet fighter that meets its own specific needs, rather than one designed by a committee to meet other countries’ needs poorly, it will end up both far safer and far more prosperous than if it goes ahead with the F-35 project. It will produce a better plane, better suited for Israeli defense needs, and simultaneously stimulate the growth of Israeli military industries, providing jobs for thousands of Israelis.
If Israel walks away from the military assistance package currently under discussion, it will be in a position to sign joint development deals with the US and other governments on a project by project basis and so ensure that we develop the weapons systems we need, not the ones the US thinks we should have, as we need them. Just as India is investing billions of dollars in joint projects with Israel, so will the US in the future.
It is far from clear that the US can afford its $400b. white elephant. It is abundantly clear that Israel cannot afford it.
Whether or not a Trump or liar-Clinton administration will be more forthcoming is really beside the point. The point is that the US aid deal is really a deal for Lockheed Martin, not for Israel. And we need to say no.
http://www.truthrevolt.org/commentary/glick-time-walk-away-us-aid
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