A MINI-DEBATE: FOR AND AGAINST F-16s FOR UKRAINE: In testimony before the House Armed Services Committee Tuesday, the Pentagon’s top policy chief defended President Joe Biden’s decision to refuse Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s request for F-16 fighter jets.
“He doesn't need F-16s now,” Biden said in an interview with ABC last week.” He needs tanks. He needs artillery. He needs air defense.” Biden insisted he is following the advice of “our seasoned military” and that “there is no basis upon which there is a rationale according to our military now to provide F-16s.”
“Even if we basically said there's nothing more important than that one weapon system and spent all of our time and all of our resources on doing it, best case scenario, we could maybe get some operational F-16s into Ukraine within a year, maybe eight months if we really pushed it,” Smith continued. “You don't just have to train the pilots, you have to train the mechanics, you have to have airfields that can accommodate the F-16, and you have to have the spare parts to make it work.
“Would it make sense to spend $3 billion on a capability that will arrive a year and a half from now, when that $3 billion is needed for Patriot interceptors or more Bradley Fighting Vehicles or more 155-millimeter ammunition, or more GMLRS?” he argued. “These are the tradeoffs that we are making in real time.”
Deptula also takes issue with Smith's assertion that fourth-generation F-16s would be too vulnerable to Russian anti-aircraft missiles. “I’d suggest otherwise given an appropriately planned air campaign and training. Killing surface-to-air missiles is a primary mission of the F-16, including those made by the Russians. And with respect to Ukraine’s air defenses as a priority, the F-16 can perform that role very well also, as it does providing continental air defense for the U.S. daily.
“We may call this a ‘strategic competition,’ but this is not a polite tennis match. This is an existential struggle over what life will look like in the 21st century — and the most fundamental freedoms are at stake,” said Chairman Mike Gallagher in his opening remarks. “The CCP is laser-focused on its vision for the future – a world crowded with techno-totalitarian surveillance states where human rights are subordinate to the whims of the party.
“The war in Ukraine has become a war of attrition,” in which “Ukraine and Russia have constructed trench systems and made heavy use of artillery… in an attempt to wear each other down through piecemeal destruction of matériel and personnel,” the policy brief states. In response, Colin Kahl, the No. 3 official at the Pentagon, noted that while the U.S. is the top contributor in terms of total dollars, many countries are giving more as a percentage of their gross national product.
“We came together with the allies in Europe in a way that we really haven't done in the past 50, 60 years,” he said. “We were talking earlier about the contributions of our partners. There is more than dollars, I would argue, that is part of this. We have partners that have skin in the game.” Washington Examiner: FISA failures: Biden DOJ's push to renew powers puts spotlight on controversial actionsThe War Zone: Ukrainian Drone Gets Within 70 Miles of MoscowBreaking Defense: Russia Turning to North Korea, Iran for More Weapons Ahead of Spring Offensive, NATO Head WarnsCNN: Agencies Have 30 Days to Ban TikTok on Government Devices, White House SaysStars and Stripes: Correcting Benefits for Medically Retired Vets a ‘Top Priority’ for Senate VA Committee, Tester Vows19fortyfive.
9 a.m. 2359 Rayburn — House Appropriations State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Subcommittee:"Oversight Hearing - United Nations,” with testimony from U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield http://appropriations.house.gov 11 a.m.
10 a.m. — Hudson Institute event: “Building a More Resilient Indo-Pacific Security Architecture,” with Ely Ratner, assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific security affairs; Lindsey Ford, deputy assistant secretary of defense for South and Southeast Asia; Patrick Cronin, Asia-Pacific security chair, Hudson Institute; and Rebeccah Heinrichs, senior fellow and director, Keystone Defense Initiative https://www.eventbrite.
12 p.m. —New America virtual discussion:"The Invasion of Iraq - Twenty Years On," with former U.S. Special Envoy for Syria Joel Rayburn, author of the U.S. Army in the Iraq War; Simona Foltyn, special correspondent at PBS NewsHour; and Abdulrazzaq Al Saiedi, technical expert on Iraq at Physicians for Human Rights https://www.newamerica.org/international-security/events
Deutschland Neuesten Nachrichten, Deutschland Schlagzeilen
Similar News:Sie können auch ähnliche Nachrichten wie diese lesen, die wir aus anderen Nachrichtenquellen gesammelt haben.
Armed Waffle House customer pays for meal, tips waitress then robs it-CopsVictor Medina is alleged to have carried out an armed robbery.
Weiterlesen »
Man assaulted, shot after refusing to let armed men into his home in Oxford Circle: policeInvestigators say two suspects demanded to be taken inside the man's home, but when he refused, he was hit in the head with a gun and shot in the leg.
Weiterlesen »
Democrat lawmaker proposes bill forcing Chicago grocery stores, gas stations to hire armed guardsHappy Foods store owner Barbara Eastman warns she 'can't afford' the 'huge' costs associated with a state bill requiring businesses to hire their own security amid rising crime.
Weiterlesen »