CounterPunch Exclusives

CounterPunch Exclusives

Why Do the Washington Post and George Will Love the F-35?

F-35 in flight. Photo: Master Sgt. Donald R. Allen, US Air Force.

“Whenever a fight occurs, airpower will be presupposed for projecting unmatched combat power, from the long-range strike capability of strategic bombing, to support for ground combat.  If the necessity of a substantial support infrastructure is an argument against the F-35, what of an aircraft carrier’s large enveloping group of support vessels?” – George F. Will, “Why the F-35 is a vital U.S. asset in this menacing era.”Washington Post, May 28, 2026.

“Whenever a fight occurs, airpower will be presupposed for projecting unmatched combat power, from the long-range strike capability of strategic bombing, to support for ground combat.  If the necessity of a substantial support infrastructure is an argument against the F-35, what of an aircraft carrier’s large enveloping group of support vessels?”

– George F. Will, “Why the F-35 is a vital U.S. asset in this menacing era.”Washington Post, May 28, 2026.

Thirteen years ago, I made the case against the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter in National Insecurity: The Cost of American Militarism.  My argument was based on overall cost (“the most expensive program in our military inventory”), the large number of aircraft proposed for the U.S. Navy (“absence of any other navy with a global presence or a power projection capability”), and the obsolescence of manned aircraft (“the next generation of pilotless armed drones as well as........

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