Will the F-35 change Middle East warfare?
Once it appears in Middle Eastern skies, the F-35 fighter aircraft may alter how wars are waged in the region.
US Vice President Joe Biden delivered a speech in Washington April 23 on the occasion of Israeli Independence Day celebrations. He announced that in 2016, the United States will deliver two F-35 Joint Strike Fighters to Israel. Yet, the debate still rages on the cost-effectiveness of the Joint Strike Fighter project, with rumors circulating that the project may be terminated due to its phenomenal $1 trillion budget.
Biden indicated that the F-35s may be fully operational for the first time in the Middle East next year. Will the F-35 totally revamp traditional approaches to warfare in the Middle East? This question is timely because in recent years we have seen a more “militarized Middle East,” with the ongoing civil war in Syria, the expansion of the Islamic State threat to Africa and Afghanistan, clashes in Yemen, increasing sectarian divides and the Iran-Israel conflict.
Actually, it is not surprising that Israel will be the first to use F-35s in the Middle East. Israel's privilege is rooted in the US administration's strict adherence to the principle of "qualitative military edge," dating back to the term of President Lyndon B. Johnson (1963-69). According to this principle, it is a vital US interest for Israel to preserve its military deterrence at all times and maintain its supremacy in military leadership, training and tactics.
Israel's Ministry of Defense announced in February that it had signed an agreement with Lockheed Martin to purchase 14 F-35s at a cost of $100 million each. Israeli officials said their goal is to have two F-35 squadrons of 25 planes each by 2021.
