HERZLIYA, Israel — The United States plans to help Arab and other
allies build their air forces.
Officials said the Defense Department has been examining a proposal that
would enable U.S. aid to equip and train foreign air forces. They said the
proposal could lead to the sale or transfer of surplus F-16 multi-role
fighters to countries that can't afford to purchase latest-generation
fighter-aircraft.
"We have retired F-16s and will have more in the future that can be
regenerated," U.S. Air Force Deputy Undersecretary Bruce Lemkin said. "We're
going to have a lot of friends and partners."
The U.S. Air Force has more than 2,000 F-16s, with most of them meant
for retirement through 2020 as the military deploys the F-35 Joint Strike
Fighter. Over the last decade, the United States has supplied Jordan with 33
surplus F-16s, about half of them meant to undergo modernization in a
project headed by Lockheed Martin, Middle East Newsline reported.
Lemkin, responsible for international affairs in the air force, told a
May 9 conference on air power projection sponsored by the Fisher Institute
for Air and Space Strategic Studies that the Defense Department has not yet
approved the air force plan. He said the proposal called for U.S. aid to a
range of Middle East and African allies that would provide for utility
helicopters, light attack aircraft and air transport.
Lemkin cited Iraq and Afghanistan as candidates for such a program. He
said the program was meant for countries who could not afford to pay for the
latest combat platforms.
"There are small nations battling great fiscal issues and who have
troops in Iraq," Lemkin said. "How can we help them?"
Lemkin also raised the prospect that the U.S. military would restore
surplus C-130s and provide them to foreign allies. He said this could ensure
that these nations help the United States in crisis management and rescue
missions.
The U.S. official said that for decades the air force has been training
air personnel in the Middle East. He said the effort was based on building
relationships with future military chiefs.
"You have Ahmed training with one of our airmen in the United States,"
Lemkin said. "Twenty years later, they are both generals."
