via Haaretz.
Several ministers, headed by Strategic and Intelligence Affairs Minister Yuval Steinitz, strongly objected to purchasing more F-35 fighter jets at the ministerial committee for defense purchases’ meeting Wednesday.Read the entire article here.
The Defense Ministry and Israel Air Force submitted to the committee a proposal to buy a second squadron of the advanced fighter jets at the expected cost of some $4.5 billion.
Steinitz spearheaded the objection to buying 31 jets, which will be added to the 19 ordered in the first deal. Steinitz is in favor of buying numerous cheap missiles to be launched from the sea, surface and air, and for increasing the use of drones, thus reducing Israel’s dependence on manned aircraft.
The committee consists of 10 members headed by the prime minister, with Steinitz as his deputy. Steinitz is supported, as far as is known, by Finance Minister Yair Lapid and Agriculture Minister Yair Shamir, a retired IAF colonel and former chairman of Israel Aerospace Industries. Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon and IAF commander Maj. Gen. Amir Eshel supported the purchase proposal in the committee.
The IAF is interested in buying a third F-35 squadron as well. Altogether the air force hopes to have 75 F-35 jets in three squadrons in the coming decade.
The deal’s opponents, who also cite the opinions of external experts such as former Defense Minister Moshe Arens, argue that in an era when myriads of rockets and missiles threaten IAF bases, Israel must not be wholly dependent on fighter jets.
What has me fired up is that we were deceived (again) by the F-35 program office. They put out the word that the Israeli's were going to buy additional jets.
Now we hear that Ministers oppose that buy. Either they know nothing about Israeli procurement procedures (not likely) or they knowingly put out false information to garner positive publicity for their program.This is not criminal behavior but it is at best deceitful at worst an outright lie. Yeah I know all is fair in love and procurement but we have been told over and over that this program is the most open in Pentagon history.
What else has the program office been deceitful/lying about?
