As our nation struggles economically and we deal with rising inflation ranges not seen in 40 years, we must always give attention to supporting companies which are doing nicely and bringing jobs to Florida. Certainly one of these examples is the F-35, which relies and partially manufactured right here.
One of many Sunshine State’s true brilliant spots for enterprise has been the F-35 — the world’s most superior stealth fighter jet proudly made in America. The Air Power, Navy and Marines all fly them. So do greater than a dozen worldwide allies both in direct partnership with our army or by means of the Overseas Navy Gross sales (FMS) program.
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Florida’s Congressional delegation has labored exhausting through the years to base them at each Eglin Air Power Base with the thirty third Fighter Wing and at Jacksonville Airport as a part of the Florida Air Nationwide Guard’s a hundred and twenty fifth Fighter Wing, bringing each safety and jobs to the state.
In 2019, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), Reps. John Rutherford (R-FL), Matt Gaetz (R-FL), Michael Waltz (R-FL) and Mario Díaz-Balart (R-FL) despatched a letter to the Air Power encouraging the choice to exchange Jacksonville’s getting old F-15 fighters with F-35s. All 5 handily received their re-elections final month — a testomony to their monitor information of getting outcomes for Florida.
In addition to army basing, lots of the jet’s engines are made in Palm Seashore County, pumping billions of {dollars} into Florida’s economic system through the years. In 2017, Reps. Brian Mast (R-FL) and Tom Rooney (R-FL) visited the manufacturing plant in Jupiter to check out the F-35 simulator together with enterprise leaders from the Palm Seashore neighborhood. Díaz-Balart tweeted out help for F-35s proven whereas testing out his abilities within the simulator.
However that excellent news story for Florida is threatened by a years-long debate in Washington over whether or not or to not substitute the F-35’s engine (often known as the F135) with a wholly new system.
Rep. Rooney spearheaded the hassle to halt the engine swap in 2011, even going in opposition to then-Home Speaker John Boehner to get it accomplished. Tea Social gathering Republicans and Democrats teamed up on the time to save lots of U.S. taxpayers $450 million by doing so. Although that $450 million would have been a colossal waste of money and time if the engine change went ahead, some in Washington are attempting once more. It’s Washington, in spite of everything.
From my very own army service, I can perceive the necessity to innovate in an effort to keep forward of adversaries in protection know-how. But it doesn’t take a pilot or rocket scientist to determine {that a} fully completely different propulsion system seems wasteful in comparison with modernizing the prevailing one for reportedly much less cash with comparable outcomes.
The worth tag for a proposed substitute engine, dubbed the Adaptive Engine Transition Program (AETP) is sky excessive — presumably topping $6 billion. Although protection budgets have been generously funded by the Trump and Biden Administrations, they aren’t and shouldn’t be countless wells of public funds which have already been fueling document inflation.
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Air Power Secretary Frank Kendall acknowledged such budgetary challenges at a protection information convention in Arlington, Virginia, simply months in the past, noting the price of a brand new substitute engine will imply presumably fewer than 70 of the F-35s. Contemplating the historical past of acquisition expense overruns, that quantity is bound to develop.
So if AETP in the end will get accredited by the Pentagon and funded by Congress, not solely will America and Florida have fewer F-35s within the stock, the Air Power and Air Nationwide Guard at Eglin and Jacksonville can have two fully completely different provide and logistic chains to keep up and function the older and newer fashions of F-35s. It might be a waste of money and time for these army models, to not point out an pointless logistical nightmare.
Furthermore, the engine manufacturing facility in Palm Seashore County might shut or see vital layoffs, dealing a serious blow to Florida’s economic system. As if hurricanes already aren’t dangerous sufficient within the state, the very last thing we’d like is a man-made one whipping our enterprise neighborhood by taking jobs away.
The underside line is — if it ain’t broke, then don’t repair it. The F-35s are doing their jobs. And remarkably nicely. They’re retaining us secure and bringing jobs to Florida. As an alternative of fixing one thing that’s working, let’s preserve doing what’s working and preserve the F-35 and its present engine system.
Joe Meyer is a former U.S. Army main, founding father of Meyer Capital and Palm Seashore resident.
This visitor column is the opinion of the writer and doesn’t essentially characterize the views of the Instances-Union. We welcome a range of opinions.
