(JNS) Yoram Ettinger - The U.S. does not give foreign aid to Israel. The U.S. makes an annual investment in Israel that provides the American taxpayer a return of several hundred percent. Israel serves as a battle-tested, cost-effective laboratory for the U.S. defense and aerospace industries, as well as for the U.S. military itself, which enhances U.S. performance on the battlefield. For example, the Israeli Air Force flies the U.S. F-16 and F-35 combat aircraft, providing both Lockheed-Martin and the U.S. Air Force with invaluable information on operations, maintenance and repairs that is then used to manufacture a multitude of upgrades for next-generation aircraft. The F-16 has been improved by several hundred Israeli-driven upgrades, including to the cockpit, fire control, wings and fuel tanks. This has spared 10-20 years of research and development which would have cost billions of dollars. Similar advantages are enjoyed by Boeing, the manufacturer of the F-15. Furthermore, Israel shares its battle tactics with the U.S. Many U.S. battle tactics have been formulated based on Israeli combat experience. For example, U.S. special operations units and urban warfare specialists are trained by Israeli experts in neutralizing car bombs, improvised explosive devices and suicide bombers. U.S. combat pilots benefit greatly from joint maneuvers with highly-experienced Israeli combat pilots. According to a former head of U.S. Air Force Intelligence, Gen. George Keegan, the U.S. would have to establish five CIAs in order to procure the intelligence provided by Israel. According to former U.S. Secretary of State Alexander Haig and Adm. Elmo Zumwalt: "Israel is the largest U.S. aircraft carrier, which does not require American soldiers on board, cannot be sunk and is deployed in a most critical region, sparing the U.S. the need to manufacture, deploy and maintain a few more real aircraft carriers and additional ground divisions, which would cost the U.S. taxpayer some $15 billion annually."
2022-06-09 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive