I've been saying for months that Egypt doesn't need those F-16's the Obama administration wanted to send to them. So now that President Obama has decided not to send them, what's the problem? The problem is that this is all part of a temper tantrum over the Morsy junta being deposed. The F-16's aren't being stopped because the Egyptians don't need them. They're being stopped because Obama is only willing to provide them to the Islamists.
Pentagon spokesman George Little said the United States values its
relationship with the Egyptian military and characterized the delay of
the F-16s as a cautionary measure.
“We do not believe it would be
in the best interest of the United States to immediately change all of
our assistance to Egypt,” Little told reporters Wednesday. But “given
the current situation in Egypt, we do not believe it is appropriate to
move forward at this time with the delivery of F-16s.”
The decision was announced shortly after Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel held an hour-long conversation with Gen. Abdel Fatah al-Sissi,
the Egyptian military chief, who this month deposed the country’s first
freely elected president, Mohamed Morsi, with the backing of a large
segment of Egyptian society. A U.S. senior defense official said the
move was not intended to be construed as punitive.
“This is not a
way of punishing them,” said the official, who spoke on the condition
of anonymity to explain policy deliberations. “It gives us more time to
consult with Congress, walk them through our strategy and explain our
views to them.”
The F-16 contract, worth about $3.2 billion, was
drawn up in 2009. Along with an order for dozens of M1A1 tanks, it is
one of the two largest purchases of U.S. military hardware that Egypt is
making using its U.S. assistance fund. The fund, which is kept in an
interest-bearing account in New York, allows Egypt to place orders for
items that in some cases are delivered over several years.
Some U.S. lawmakers have argued that the United States should halt
military aid to Egypt entirely in the wake of Morsi’s ouster. The Obama
administration has declined to call the dismissal a coup, in large part
because formally labeling it as such would mandate a halt of U.S. aid
under federal law.
I don't have a problem with the US not giving Egypt those F-16's, although if it really were not a punishment it ought to be exchanged for economic aid. I do have a problem with the continued insistence of the Obama administration on backing the Muslim Brotherhood.
The US officials say Washington will deliver four F-16 fighter jets in the next few weeks.
They are part of an already agreed bigger order of 20 planes -
eight of which were sent to Egypt in January. The final eight are
expected to be shipped later this year.
White House spokesman Jay Carney on Wednesday
reiterated that it would not be "in the best interests of the United
States to make immediate changes to our assistance programmes".
He added that the administration would take its time to consider the implications of removing Mr Morsi from power.
US military aid to Egypt is estimated to be $1.3bn (£860m) each year.
Don't get me wrong - I don't think the US should cut aid to Egypt right now (which they have threatened to do), but shouldn't they be sending some butter instead of guns?
Speaking to Reuters near midnight in a tent at a vigil where thousands
of Morsi’s supporters are protesting against the Islamist president’s
removal, former Minister of Supplies Bassem Ouda said the state had just
500,000 tonnes of imported wheat left.
Egypt is the world’s largest importer of wheat, half of which it
distributes to its 84 million people in the form of heavily subsidised
bread. The ousted government closely guarded figures about its foreign
grain stores even as a shortage of cash halted its imports.
Two
and a half years of political turmoil have caused a deep economic crisis
in Egypt, scaring away investors and tourists, draining foreign
currency reserves and making it difficult to maintain imports of food
and fuel.
After buying 3.7 million tonnes from a domestic harvest
that is now finishing, Egypt has 3 million tonnes of home-grown wheat
left in its stores, Ouda said.
Egypt normally mixes its
lower-gluten domestic wheat with equal parts foreign wheat in order to
produce flour suitable to make bread. Ouda said Morsi’s government had
tried to increase the ratio of domestic wheat it used to 60 per cent.
In
a typical year Egypt imports about 10 million tonnes of wheat. Egypt
had not imported any wheat since February - its longest absence from the
market in years - until the eve of Morsi’s overthrow when it bought
180,000 tonnes for shipment in August.
Egypt's wheat shortage is not a new story. It goes back at least to when President Mubarak was deposed and probably before that. Three Gulf countries have promised Egypt $12 billion, but promises are one thing and cash is another. What's astounding in all this is that the 'sane' countries in the world are ignoring a problem that could lead to the starvation of some 80 million people (at least).
'Friends don't send their friends' enemies taxpayer-funded F-16's and tanks'
Representative Louie Gohmert (R-Tx) slammed President Obama for abandoning Israel by sending taxpayer-funded F-16's and tanks to the Morsy-Muslim Brotherhood regime in Egypt. The latest shipment went out quietly on Thursday.
“Friends don’t send U.S. taxpayer-funded F-16s and tanks to the enemies of their friends,” said Rep. Louie Gohmert, to Fox News.
He was referring to America’s 2010 billion-dollar foreign aid deal with then-President Hosni Mubarak. The deal called for America to send 20 F-16s to Egypt;
Thursday’s shipment brings to 12 the total that’s been sent. The
remaining eight will be sent before the end of the year, Fox News said.
But critics say the program should have been reevaluated.
President Mohammad Morsi now leads — and his tone is more aggressive against America.
For instance, the Muslim Brotherhood-backed leader attacked Mr. Obama in 2010 for supporting Israel.
“One
American president after another — and most recently, that Obama —
talks about American guarantees for the safety of the Zionists in
Palestine,” Mr. Morsi said in the Fox News report, in reaction to Mr. Obama’s Cairo speech in 2009.
Mr. Morsi has also promoted the teaching of hatred of Jewish people, the Middle East Media Research Institute said.
“Dear
brothers, we must not forget to nurse our children and grandchildren on
hatred toward these Zionists and Jews and all those who support him,”
the group reported Mr. Morsi as saying in 2010. “They must be nursed on hatred. The hatred must continue.”
Since taking office last year, Mr. Morsi
has toned down his anti-American rhetoric. But critics say he still
harbors the same expressed 2010 views toward the Jewish community and
that upholding the terms of the aid package with him constitutes an
American betrayal of Israel.
When the history of this era is written, it will be necessary to examine how and why Fox News came to be the only broadcast mainstream media outlet that was able to take a critical view of the Obama administration. The American media is clearly not doing its job.
It's come to this: Egypt tells its people to eat less
No, Michelle Obama hasn't put the people of Egypt on a diet. The Egyptian government has. And the diet has nothing to do with Egyptians losing weight. It has to do with Egypt's government going broke.
“Even Islamists have to eat,” I wrote under the headline “Food and Failed Arab States” in February 2011. Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood government takes a different view, the Washington Post
reported yesterday. The trouble, the government says, is that Egyptians
are eating too much. In a separate report, the government proposed to
cut back its bread subsidy to three hand-sized loaves of pita bread per
person per day, about 400 calories’ worth. A state that can’t feed its
people is a failed state, and that’s why the Egyptian state is at the
brink of collapse, as Egypt’s defense minister warned last week.
According to the Post report, the government is telling
Egyptians (almost half of whom live on less than $2 a day) to eat less.
You can’t make this sort of thing up. Egypt lost another $1.4 billion in
foreign exchange reserves in January, and probably is flat broke after
figuring in arrears to oil and food suppliers, and it imports half its
food, so something had to give. In response, Egypt’s Islamist government
is emulating North Korea’s approach to food shortages:
Egypt’s government is recommending that Egyptians avoid
overeating in order to cope with rising food prices and chronic
household shortages, according to local media reports.
“The government has acknowledged across-the-board food price
inflation on a range of commodities in a new report. … In the report,
the government also advises citizens not to over-eat,” Egyptian journalist Issandr el Amrani writes in the Cairo-based Arabist blog, citing local media.
According to our translation, the story from Elwatan News says:
“The report also gave dietary instructions to citizens, including…that
it’s up to the individual to learn what to eat and why malnutrition can
develop from a lack of food or overeating, and why a balanced diet is
commensurate with the real needs of people, depending on their age,
weight, and level of physical activity.”
...
The economic struggles mean most Egyptian households don’t have
enough money to buy clothing, food and shelter, according to a fall 2012
survey by the Egyptian Food Observatory. As the site Rebel Economy reported:
“Of the 1680 households surveyed in September 2012, 86 percent said
their income was insufficient for covering total monthly needs including
for food, clothes and shelter, up from 74 percent in June 2012.”
To cope, Egyptians are reportedly buying cheaper food items, reducing their food intake and buying food on credit.
...
The numbers simply don’t add up. To maintain its present, minimal
consumption levels Egypt will require at least $22 billion in aid in
2013 (Bloomberg News’ estimate). In a recent essay for JINSA (“Failure IS an Option in Egypt“)
I crunch the numbers, and show that they don’t add up. Nonetheless, the
International Monetary Fund’s analysts go through the motions of
instructing the Egyptians on the need to reduce the budget deficit, now
at 15% of GDP, which means reducing food and fuel subsidies, which keep
alive the more than 40% of Egyptians who are unemployment and
underemployed.
We are watching something unique and terrible in modern history,
namely the disintegration of a society of 80 million people, with the
prospect of real hunger–a self-made famine brought about by social and
political disaster rather than crop failure or war. It is horrific and
dangerous. Those (like the Council on Foreign Relations’ Steven Cook)
who maliciously accuse me of wanting Egypt to fail might as well accuse
oncologists of wanting their patients to die of cancer. No-one proposes
to cough up $20 to $30 billion a year to bail out Egypt — the taxpayers
have enough troubles of their own. Instead, the establishment goes
through the motions of prescribing macroeconomic measures to the
Egyptian government which imply starvation at the micro level — and
wonders why all the parties in Egyptian politics won’t play together
nicely.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad arrived in Egypt on Tuesday on
the first trip by an Iranian head of state since the 1979 revolution,
underlining the thaw in relations since Egyptians elected an Islamist
head of state.
President Mohamed Morsi, the Muslim Brotherhood
politician elected in June, kissed Ahmadinejad as he disembarked from
his plane at Cairo airport. The leaders walked down a red carpet,
Ahmadinejad smiling as he shook hands with waiting dignitaries.
Visiting Cairo to attend an Islamic summit that begins on Wednesday,
the president of the Shi'ite Islamist republic is due to meet later on
Tuesday with the grand sheikh of al-Azhar, one of the oldest seats of
learning in the Sunni world.
Such a visit would have been
unthinkable during the rule of Hosni Mubarak, the military-backed
autocrat who preserved Egypt's peace treaty with Israel during his 30
years in power and deepened ties between Cairo and the West.
But full ties between Egypt and Iran are unlikely to be restored anytime soon. It's a matter of money.
The Morsi administration also wants to safeguard relations with Gulf
Arab states that are supporting Cairo's battered state finances and are
deeply suspicious of Iran. Morsi wants to preserve ties with the United
States, the source of $1.3 billion in aid each year to the influential
Egyptian military.
Morsi's government has established close ties
with Hamas, a movement backed by Iran and shunned by the West because of
its hostility to Israel, but its priority is addressing Egypt's deep
economic problems.
"The restoration of full relations with Iran in
this period is difficult, despite the warmth in ties ... because of
many problems including the Syrian crisis and Cairo's links with the
Gulf states, Israel and the United States," said one former Egyptian
diplomat.
Egypt was a very strong supporter of the Shah of Iran before 1979. I'll bet a lot of you didn't know this little tidbit.
Egypt gave asylum and a state funeral to Iran's exiled Shah Reza
Pahlavi, who was overthrown by the 1979 Iranian revolution. He is buried
in a medieval Cairo mosque alongside his ex-brother-in-law, Egypt's
last king, Farouk.
Aren't you glad that the Obama administration continues to give the Egyptians arms and $1.3 billion in annual aid? What is the US getting in return for all that?
I'll answer that last question for you: The US is buying the myth that there is an Arab country that made peace with Israel which is intended to last permanently. The US is paying $1.3 billion plus per year for the myth that 'land for peace' works. Unfortunately, the puncturing of this myth is well on the way. Ahmadinejad's visit to Egypt proves it.
Voting 79 for and 19 against, the Senate on Jan. 31 tabled (killed)
an attempt to end U.S. military assistance to Egypt in response to
instability there under a Muslim Brotherhood-led government. Offered to
HR 325 (above), the amendment sought, in part, to stop deliveries of
military vehicles such as Abrams tanks and aircraft such as the F-16
fighter jet. Backers said the U.S. should not be propping up a
government openly hostile to America, while opponents said the amendment
would upend U.S.-Egypt relations, harm Israel and worsen chaos in the
Middle East.
But the Republicans have not given up. On Thursday, Senator Jim Inhofe (R-Ok), the Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, introduced a bill conditionally suspending military sales to Egypt.
"For months, I have been calling on the President and his Administration to delay F-16 deliveries to Egypt," said Inhofe.
"I still am insisting the Administration suspend this transaction to
Egypt. Today there was an effort on the Senate floor to cut off all
sales of military equipment, including future F-16s, to Egypt.
While the intent is understood, the prohibition would cost taxpayers $2.2
billion and would rob the U.S. of leverage to put Egypt on the path
toward true democracy.
"For decades, the U.S. has had a good relationship with Egypt, training
their troops and working together to maintain peace and stability in the
region. Under Muslim Brotherhood President Morsi, this relationship
has come to a halt. We need to continue to support the Egyptian
military, which Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood have currently
distanced themselves from. Egypt’s military is our friend – Morsi is our
enemy.
"Today I have introduced a bill to delay any further deliveries of F-16s until
the President certifies to Congress that the Government of Egypt agrees
(1) to continue to uphold its commitments under the Camp David Peace
Accords, (2) to provide proper security at United States embassies and
consulates, (3) to bring stability to its nation by ending its
systematic exclusion and silencing of all official minority political
opposition, and (4) to take concrete steps to engage in dialogue with
such opposition parties and consider a coalition, power-sharing
government with such opposition parties. I believe that won’t happen
until Morsi is gone, and we’ve got to keep this leverage to make this
happen."
Earlier in the week, Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky) said that he would propose similar legislation.
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairwoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fl) has introduced legislation in the House that goes even further than Inhofe's bill, and last week sought co-sponsors via a Dear Colleague letter.
On Thursday, Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) circulated a Dear Colleague letter seeking co-sponsors for H.R.416, a
bill she introduced on January 25. The “Egypt Accountability and
Democracy Promotion Act” would “condition security assistance and
economic assistance to the Government of Egypt.” The letter expressed
concern over Egypt’s turmoil, President Morsi’s “continued civil rights
violations” and anti-Semetic comments, and that “aid could possibly be
used for nefarious intentions.” The act would require “certification
that Egypt is: Not controlled by a foreign terrorist organization,
Transitioning to a free-market democratic government, Adopting and
implementing legal reforms that protect the rights of all citizens,
Fully implementing the Israel-Egypt peace treaty, [and] Destroying the
smuggling network between Egypt and Gaza.”
Representative Ed Whitfield (R-Ky) announced on Thursday that he and several colleagues would send a letter to President Obama and Secretary of State John FN Kerry urging them not to send the F-16's to Egypt.
“In the three years it has taken for the procurement of these aircraft,
Egypt has undergone significant changes in their government, including a
revolution and the installment of a new leader, Mohamed Morsi, a former
leader of the Muslim Brotherhood. Given this substantial change in
circumstances, we strongly believe reconsideration of
previously-allocated military assistance to this nation is critical.
Recent
and previous statements by President Morsi indicate a clear hostility
towards non-Muslims in Egypt as well as towards the United States and
her allies—particularly Israel. Specifically, multiple recent reports of
President Morsi’s anti-Semitic and anti-American comments, and of
increased religious persecution and civil rights violations perpetrated
by his government, are cause for great concern. The instability of the
region is also evident from this weekend’s anti-government protests that
resulted in at least 50 deaths and hundreds of injuries. We are also
concerned with news of President Morsi granting emergency powers to the
Egyptian military to arrest Egyptian civilians and serve as a police
force in the country. Thus, the United States should be extremely
cautious in providing any financial support to Egypt—to say nothing of
military weaponry.”
Unfortunately, President Hussein Obama is likely to fight this at least as hard as he fought the Iran sanctions last term....
Monday afternoon at the fights: Rand Paul goes after John FN Kerry for Obama's F-16 gifts to Egypt
There was a lot to watch when Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky) questioned Senator John FN Kerry (D-Ma) at the latter's confirmation hearing to be US Secretary of State.This might be the highlight.
In the hands of a good realpolitik statesman, this balance would be
managed well. For example, former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger
would have kept the Egyptian government off-balance and made it
understand that Washington was doing it a favor by providing aid. In
other words, leverage would be used.
But in Kerry’s hands, leverage is tossed away. He is so afraid of
using power or being tough that he throws away leverage, believing there
can be no risk of problems. The recipient must not be intimidated or
pressed to change but shown that America is its friend and not the
imperialist bully that people like Kerry and President Barack Obama see
when they look back at U.S. history.
Precisely the same problem was displayed notably in two other recent cases (though readers can probably add more):
–When the Palestinian Authority (PA) approached the UN seeking
membership and recognition as a state, the Bush Administration made it
clear to the UN and allies that there would be a strong price to pay in
U.S. support and donations. The PA backed down. With Obama opposing the
same thing but not playing any trump cards, America’s “friends” almost
unanimously voted against Washington’s position and it suffered a
serious loss whose costs (including the permanent destruction of the
“peace process”) have not yet been counted.
–When it was suggested to Kerry that U.S. aid to Pakistan be held up
until it released a political prisoner, a doctor who helped America
locate Usama bin Ladin and who is now in prison and reportedly has been
tortured, Kerry refused.
America must be the one humiliated; the feelings of other countries cannot be hurt.
...
He also missed an opportunity to point out that arms were sold to some countries precisely because they had made peace with Israel and other countries because
they supported U.S. policy generally despite being very anti-Israel.
Arms were not given, however, to countries led by anti-American
revolutionary Islamist groups that also openly declared their support
for genocide of Israel and all Jews generally.
Kerry: “Better yet, until we are at that moment, where that might be achievable, maybe it’d be better to try and make peace.”
Wow, again. This is the mentality that has repeatedly crippled U.S. Middle East policy. It goes like this:
–We want peace.
–Therefore, we should not evaluate what policies are most likely to
succeed but merely those that can allow us to say that peace remains
possible. For example, even if the PA rejects talks for four years, we
shouldn’t criticize or pressure it because that might make peace less
likely, etc.
-It might work so we can’t “give up” but we must “keep trying” even
though this period is not conducive to progress and even while other
U.S. policies (especially backing toward Islamists) actually makes peace
even more impossible to achieve.
...
Kerry isn’t just wrong, he’s totally clueless. And as just about the
most openly arrogant man in American public life he will never let
reality penetrate through his ideological armor.
The New York Times awakens to reality: Morsi is an anti-Semite
Maybe the New York Times should be reading Israel Matzav.
12 days ago, I posted a video of an interview with Egyptian President Mohammed Morsy in which he refers to Jews as the 'sons of apes and pigs.' The New York Times just noticed the video (Hat Tip: Memeorandum). It sure took them long enough.
Since beginning his campaign for president, Mr. Morsi has promised to
uphold Egypt’s treaty with Israel and to seek peace in the region. In
recent months, he has begun to forge a personal bond with President
Obama around their successful efforts to broker a truce between Israel
and Palestinian militants of the Gaza Strip.
But the exposure this month of his virulent comments from early 2010,
both documented on video, have revealed sharp anti-Semitic and
anti-Western sentiments, raising questions about Mr. Morsi’s efforts to
present himself as a force for moderation and stability. Instead, the
disclosures have strengthened the position of those who say Israel’s
Arab neighbors are unwilling to commit to peace with the Jewish state.
“When the leader of a country has a history of statements demonizing
Jews, and he does not do anything to correct it, it makes sense that
many people in Israel would conclude that he cannot be trusted as a
partner for peace,” said Kenneth Jacobson, deputy national director of
the Anti-Defamation League.
And if he suddenly said he's sorry it would be okay? Allow me to go back to something the Sandmonkey wrote back in 2006, before the revolution made him famous:
But
then I rememebrd that we- the majority of us anyway- don't want peace
with Israel, and are not interested in any real dialogue with them. We
weren't then and we are not now. The Entire peace process has always
been about getting the land back, not establishing better relations.
Even when we do get the land back, it's not enough. People in Egypt
lament daily the Camp David treaty that prevents us from fighting. In
Gaza they never stopped trying to attack Israel. In Lebanon Hezbollah
continued attacking even after the Israeli withdrawel. And the people-
the majority of the arab population- support it. Very few of us are
really interested in having any lasting Peace or co-existance. I mean,
if our left is asking for war, what do you think the rest of the
population is thinking?
I think that the Israeli want peace with
us because they don't want their lives disrupted. They don't want to
have the IDF soldiers fighting in Gaza, rockets coming into their towns
from Hamas or having to go to wars against Hezbollah to get their
soldiers back. I think they want peace because they want their peace of
mind. They view us as if we were a headache. We view them as if they
are a cancer.
Of course, we need not worry about Morsy apologizing. He has no intention of doing so.
Representatives of Mr. Morsi have declined repeated requests over more
than three days for comment on his remarks. One reason may be that the
re-emergence of his previous statements has now trapped him in a
political bind. While his past comments may be a liability abroad, he
faces a political culture at home in which such defamation of Jews is
almost standard stump discourse. Any attempt to retract, or even
clarify, his slurs would expose him to political attacks by opponents
who already accuse him of softness toward the United States and Israel.
Signs asserting Mr. Morsi works for Mr. Obama are already common at
street protests. Perhaps “the Muslim Brotherhood is so desperate for
U.S. support that it is willing to bend over backwards to humor the
Israelis,” Emad Gad, a leader of the Social Democratic Party, suggested
in a recent column.
And why should he apologize given that the Times is perfectly happy to make excuses for him.
The anti-Semitic statements that have come to light this month both date
back to 2010, when anti-Israeli sentiment was running high after a
three-week conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza the previous year.
That would be Operation Cast Lead, which started in December 2008 and ended in time for President Obama's first inauguration in January 2009. Somehow, I doubt that was the catalyst. Go back and reread Sandmonkey's remarks, which date to July 2006.
But, domestically, it means quite a bit. Retired Brigadier General
Safwat Al-Zayat told the Weekly in a telephone interview from Doha that
in the game between the White House and Congress, the Zionist lobby may
still try to obstruct the deal. "Even though they know that the aircraft
mean little in terms of military balances, they feel they have to say
something with a political twist that includes Mohamed Morsi and the
Muslim Brothers in a useful sentence. But then, the White House is
playing the same game," he said.
He continued: "Even if this bothers people in the military, it is
obvious that the finalisation of the deal on 11 December, which happened
to be at the height of the mass demonstrations in Tahrir Square against
Morsi, conveyed a political message. Between the lines, Washington was
sending a message to three parties. The first was to Morsi and it
stated, 'We support you. Move ahead.' The second was to the army and it
said, 'We are encouraging this man,' meaning Morsi. The third was to the
opposition forces and it said the same thing. We need to bear in mind
that Morsi had been put to the test during the last [Israeli] war
against Gaza and passed with flying colours from the US perspective."
If the above-mentioned US source had no reservations with regard to
Washington's embrace of the Muslim Brotherhood, another source close to
the same political circle complained that the Brotherhood were being
two-faced in their dealings with Washington – which is to say that what
is happening on the ground in Egypt is different from what they try to
market to US public opinion. To this, a Brotherhood source responded:
"How can we be sure that the US administration is dealing honestly with
us?" The implication was that Washington is keeping its lines of
communication open with the Egyptian opposition and army.
Ambassador Haridi agrees that the F-16 deal signals an unprecedented
level of support for Morsi and the Brotherhood. He finds this
regrettable because "it leads me to understand that the Muslim
Brotherhood reached power with US approval, and this means the provision
of services." Therefore, he added, "Congress will not intervene, unless
there is some dramatic excess or unless the Brotherhood deviates from
the framework of its understanding with Washington. In any event, the
Muslim Brotherhood in Cairo understands the rules perfectly and has no
intention of breaking them."
Given Morsy's proven attitude toward Israel, it is inevitable that he would turn these weapons on Israel if God forbid he is ever given the chance. Maybe it's time for Congress to intervene.
The IAF has recently discovered that 'several' F-16 engines have been stolen from one of its bases. 'Arabs assisted by someone on the inside' are suspected (Hat Tip: Aryeh Z).
Senior IAF sources said that the thieves who stole the engines had to
have been assisted by someone within the base. This determination is
based, among other things, on the fact that there was no damage to the
base's perimeter fence. This leads investigators to believe that the
thieves went in and out through the gates. They must have done this with
a large vehicle, since the engines weigh over 1.5 tons and are more
than 15 feet long.
No suspects have been arrested yet in the theft, which is the first
of its kind in the IAF's history and marks a low point in its ability to
secure its own bases. The most likely possibility is that the engines
were stolen by Arab metal thieves, weapons dealers or terror-related
agents.
You might be asking - as I did - how someone could steal an engine that weighs over 1.5 tons and that is over 15 feet long. If you read the whole thing, you will discover that there were several similar audacious thefts over the last few months.
Some of you may recall that early in the Obama administration, the President forced Congress to drop funding for the F-22 fighter jet by threatening to veto the Defense Authorization bill. The argument went that after all, soon we would have the F-35, which would make the F-22 obsolete.
Had the F-35 been built, it is unlikely that the F-22 would have become obsolete. But now, more than three years later, the F-35 has not been built. It has also seen huge cost overruns. And as a result of President Hussein Obama's foolish decision, the United States will be forced to use F-15's and F-16's - many of which are older than many of you reading this post - for many years to come.
Lockheed Martin first received the contract in 2001 to produce the
plane, and there now is little hope that it will be ready for full
production and deployment by the projected 2020 date, aviation analysts
say.
The development is placing even greater stress on the aging F-15s,
F-16s and F/A-18s and the more recent stealth fighter F-22, whose
production was halted in favor of proceeding with the F-35. Almost all
of these aircraft, produced by Lockheed Martin, have been in service
since the 1980s.
While they have been updated with new avionics and internal
technologies, they are becoming less competitive with the new fifth
generation fighters being developed and beginning to go into production
in Russia and China.
Since it’s been 11 years since the contract was awarded, and there’s
still uncertainty when the F-35 will be available, there is mounting
concern that it may not be the aircraft envisioned in 2001 as plans are
proceeding to prepare for the “sixth-generation” fighter to be ready by
2030.
Now, the sustainment cost for the F-35 is estimated to approach $1
trillion, and the new head of the joint program office for the F-35 is
thinking of abandoning Lockheed’s support system for the aircraft and
open it up to competition.
Critics say that the approach may work in the long term but it won’t
ensure delivery of the aircraft by 2020. By then, it is estimated that
only a fraction of the requested 2,400 will be operational.
The services needing the F-35 will still have to rely primarily on
updated F-15s, F-16s, F/A-18s and F-22s, as will European partners who
will have to weigh whether to continue their investment in the F-35 or
instead place their limited funding in upgrading what they have.
At this point, the services, especially the Air Force, need to worry
about the U.S. industrial base that not only supports the development of
the F-35 but has been involved in the production of the older aircraft.
In recognition of maintaining the industrial base and meeting
legitimate defense needs, critics say the decision may have to be made
to continue production of the older aircraft and devise new ways to
adjust military plans to new capabilities to meet future needs by 2030.
IAF to upgrade F-16's as F-35 encounters further delay
One of the earliest moves President Obama made to change America's defense priorities was to coerce the Senate into removing funding for the F-22 Raptor (pictured), which was already in production, by threatening to veto the defense budget. It was a move that I attacked at the time, as did many other conservatives. But the President argued that the F-22 was no longer necessary because soon we would have the hotsy totsy F-35.
Except that it's three years later and the F-35 joint strike fighter, which is being co-developed with several other countries, and which Israel is scheduled to be one of the first to purchase, is nowhere near completion. As an indication of how far the F-35 is from completion, consider this: Israel is going to upgrade its old F-16 fleet.
The decision to begin the upgrades on the F-16 C/D models – called “Barak” in the IAF – began in 2010 with the installation of new avionics and a new mission-debriefing system.
In an effort to increase the aircraft’s lifespan, the IAF has now decided to also upgrade the F- 16s flight-control system as well as its central display unit and the aircraft will be fitted with new high-resolution screens aimed at increasing pilots’ situational awareness.
Pilots of the Barak aircraft will also be equipped with Elbit’s display and sight helmet system, which enables pilots to aim their weapons simply by looking at their targets.
The upgrades come amid the possibility the delivery of the F- 35 will be delayed.
In 2010, the Defense Ministry signed a $2.75 billion contract for its first squadron of 20 F-35s, which are supposed to begin arriving in 2017 with pilots traveling to the US for training in mid-2016.
IAF commander Maj.-Gen. Ido Nehushtan recently held a number of discussions within the force regarding reports the Pentagon was considering slowing down the development of the F-35 after a number of cracks were discovered on some of the aircraft.
American-Israeli anarchist Ilan Grapel is on a plane from Cairo to Tel Aviv (about an hour's flight) as I am writing this post. When he arrives in Israel, he will be brought to Jerusalem to meet with Prime Minister Netanyahu (according to Israel Radio and the JPost) or to be debriefed by Defense Ministry officials (according to YNet). Grapel's mother is waiting for him at Ben Gurion and will take him back to the States when he is done with his 'meeting.' Somehow, I suspect we won't be seeing him again here for quite some time, unless he goes to another Arab or Muslim country and we are asked to ransom him again.
JPost writes that the Grapel deal was cover for Egypt to resolve its tensions with Israel over par(they don't say this) Egyptian participation in the August terror attacks along the border outside Eilat.
The United States, which provides the army that now runs Egypt with billions of dollars in military aid, had called for Grapel's release. Analysts said the exchange provided a cover for Egypt to resolve diplomatic strains with Israel.
"I consider it a cover for returning this spy with pressure from the United States," said political analyst Hassan Nafaa.
"The release of those 25 represents a cover that has no meaning in fact. It does not harm Israel and it does not significantly benefit Egyptians," he added. Many of those detained by Israel were convicted of smuggling offenses.
The Egyptian prisoners were given a warm welcome upon their arrival and were greeted by family members and an Egyptian TV crew, which broadcast the handover live. The first three to be transferred were minors. Upon crossing the Taba border they kissed the ground. The three told an Egyptian reporter they were treated well in Israel but have no intention to return in the future.
Upon their arrival in Egypt, some of the prisoners told local TV about their confinement conditions. "It was hard to be in prison, we were separated," one inmate, who spent six years in jail, said. "I was told I'm getting out on Tuesday." Another prisoner charged with drug trafficking claimed they were all treated "very badly."
US paying for Grapel too... an F-16; UPDATED: SEVERAL F-16's
If this report turns out to be correct, I take back everything I said about the US not negotiating with terrorists and not paying ransom for its citizens who are being held hostage. As much as I think that it's absurd that Israel is turning over terrorists to bring anarchist Ilan Grapel back to the US, this is downright shocking.
According to a Maan report cited by the JPost, the United States is GIVING Egypt an F-16 fighter jet as jizya for releasing American-Israeli anarchist Ilan Grapel so that he can go back to law school in the United States.
The United States is set to give Egypt an F-16 fighter jet as part of the deal to release dual US-Israeli citizen Ilan Grapel, the Palestinian Ma'an news agency reported Thursday.
Ma'an quoted Egyptian military expert General Sameh Sayf al-Yazal saying that the United States was called into the negotiations to help Egypt exact the best possible deal for Grapel's release.
According to the report, Israel refused to release all 81 Egyptian prisoners in Israel for a deal that included both Grapel and Ouda Tarabin, an Israeli Bedouin who, like Grapel, is being held in Egypt on spying charges.
There are ongoing negotiations to free Tarabin, whose family lives in Israel, and who has been held without charges for eleven years.
But let's go back to that F-16 for a minute. Iran must be kicking themselves for not asking for a few for those 'hikers' they released recently. And other American 'allies' like Pakistan and Afghanistan and Turkey must be licking their lips at the prospect of finding 'spies' like Grapel who can be exchanged for top line military equipment.
What could go wrong?
UPDATE 11:30 AM
YNet reports that you can make that several F-16's, although they have it that the US is selling the F-16's and Israel, which has objected to such sales in the past, is not objecting.
With delivery of the F-35 joint strike fighter being delayed - possibly to as far out as 2018 - Israel is planning to upgrade some of its F-15's and F-16's, and to buy an entire squadron of used F-15's from the United States.
Due to the delays, the IDF is working on a plan that includes upgrading its current fleet of legendary F-15s and F-16s that it had planned on phasing out, as well as the procurement of a squadron of used F-15s from the USAF that will serve as a “gap filler” for the IAF until the JSF arrives, now expected as late as 2018.
I am an Orthodox Jew - some would even call me 'ultra-Orthodox.' Born in Boston, I was a corporate and securities attorney in New York City for seven years before making aliya to Israel in 1991 (I don't look it but I really am that old :-). I have been happily married to the same woman for thirty-five years, and we have eight children (bli ayin hara) ranging in age from 13 to 33 years and nine grandchildren. Four of our children are married! Before I started blogging I was a heavy contributor on a number of email lists and ran an email list called the Matzav from 2000-2004. You can contact me at: IsraelMatzav at gmail dot com
