Maurice H. Phillips
Newton
Having served as a general in the Iowa Army National Guard, there is little that matters more to me than the safety of our troops.
While emerging nations such as China and Russia develop their own advanced aircraft weaponry, our nation must work to ensure the safety of our armed forces through projects like the F-35 Lightning II aircraft.
Designed for the entire battle space, the F-35’s advanced capabilities allow U.S. pilots to complete missions and return home safely. As the most flexible, technologically advanced multirole fighter ever built, the F-35 will be six times more effective than previous legacy fighters in air-to-air combat and five times more effective in air-to-ground combat.
In addition to ensuring the safety of U.S. troops, the F-35 program generates high-tech and high-skill jobs for hundreds of thousands of people across the globe. Nationwide, the program contributes to 130,000 jobs. Meanwhile, in our home state of Iowa, the manufacturing of the F-35 aircraft supports nearly 2,000 direct and indirect jobs.
Because the F-35 keeps our troops safe and simultaneously boosts our economy, the integration and support of the F-35 Lightning II aircraft should be of the utmost importance to Iowans. This includes Iowa’s U.S. Senator Joni Ernst, who, as a lieutenant colonel in the Iowa Army National Guard, knows firsthand the necessity of advanced weaponry to keeping our troops safe in combat.