Only the Interests of the World’s Leading Superpower America Are Served by the JSF

[unhappycamper]

http://watchingamerica.com/News/222231/only-the-interests-of-the-worlds-leading-superpower-america-are-served-by-the-jsf/

I want to have a good air force with good fighter aircraft, an air force that meets the ambitions our country has in the world. What I don't require is a fighter plane whose sole purpose is to serve the needs of the world's leading superpower — the United States.

Only the Interests of the World’s Leading Superpower America Are Served by the JSF
De Volkskrant, Netherlands
By Hero Brinkman
Translated By Daniel Baker
18 September 2013
Edited by Eva Langman

The PvdA [the Dutch Labor Party] has looked at this five or six times (I've lost count now), but the decision has finally been made and there is no going back — they are going to purchase the F-35 JSF. As far as the Dutch Labor Party is concerned, the reason is that they want to keep the coalition together, of course, especially since they are too scared to face the electorate at the moment.

As a House spokesperson for years, I was witness to the lobbying by the U.S. government, as well as Lockheed Martin (the manufacturers of the F-35), various other firms and parties such as the VVD [the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy] and the CDA [Christian Democratic Appeal], with Jack “JSF” de Vries. That lobbying was intense, which indicates how much the Americans wanted us to choose the JSF.

The arguments in favor of the JSF revolve around the reciprocal orders we would secure, as well as the stealth qualities of the JSF. Those counterorders are extremely important, of course, but in reality a lot of the orders go to foreign-owned companies located in the Netherlands. This does mean that we benefit from the fact that Dutch labor is used to manufacture these products, but the profits are mainly earned by Italian, French and German companies.

~snip~

Now, note that the JSF has been developed by the U.S. to prepare for the so-called “Iran scenario.” This scenario involves penetrating as deep as possible into enemy territory (read: Iran) without being seen, dropping a bomb and getting home in one piece again. To achieve this aim, compatibility of communications and weapons systems is obviously a very important factor. Even from a large distance and after a strike by a JSF, the Americans want to keep control of their nuclear arsenal and they aren't going to leave anything to chance. This compatibility with nuclear weapons is the real reason for buying the JSF.