Bruce Lemkin, the deputy undersecretary of the Air Force for International Affairs, has no counterpart in the Army or Navy, but Lemkin says “[his] job is not selling airplanes, [his] job is building relationships between the U.S. Air Force and other air forces around the world.” His goal is to build “interoperability,” which at its most basic level means getting U.S. and allied air forces “training together, operating together, flying together, so if we have to, we can fight together.” But…his job is kind of about selling airplanes: “When I talk to a foreign air chief about [interoperability], their eyes open up–gee, this guy can help me–cause it’s not just about buying the equipment, but the airplane is important, because flying the same plane that the U.S. Air Force flies becomes the centerpiece of that relationship.” And that is certainly true in the case of fighters like the F-16, which is flown by 24 allied air forces, but the newest jet in the U.S. inventory, the F-22, has the potential to do more than help the United States build relationships. The F-22 has unmatched capabilities as an air-to-air fighter, and if the United States were to export that aircraft–speculation about a sale has centered on two of the countries closest allies, Japan and Israel–it would represent a huge leap forward in capability for the recipient. But Lemkin was quick to point out that “by U.S. law, we cannot export the F-22.” Is the Air Force working to change that law so as to allow export to Japan? It’s a move favored by many, as it would effectively drive down program costs by increasing the number of units produced, as well as giving Japan a more credible deterrent vis-a-vis North Korea and China, but Lemkin said that “[his] personal view, and it’s our Air Force view, we want to see Japan flying the Joint Strike Fighter–it’s a capability that will be very appropriate to them.”
Lemkin says the F-35 has technologies that are 15 years beyond what’s available in F-22.
But the Japanese have an urgent need for a next-generation fighter, and F-22 is available now, while the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is still in development. But Lemkin says there would be “huge costs” associated with developing an exportable version of F-22, and that doing so would take considerable time–“by the time they got that,” Lemkin said, “they could have an F-35.” Lemkin said the Air Force might be able to provide the Japanese with JSF as early as 2013. According to Lemkin, JSF is “the right choice for Israel, it’s the right choice for Japan.” Still, one industry source familiar with the program told me today that he believed Israel would likely get access to F-22 in the not too distant future. And there seems to be considerable support on the Hill and in the White House–and, of course, at lead contractor Lockheed Martin–for changing the export laws governing sales of the F-22 in order to allow both Japan and Israel access to the world’s most advanced operational fighter. Moving on to other matters…Lemkin got himself in a bit of hot water in March when, on a trip to India to promote U.S. aircraft in a major competition to supply that country’s air force with a new fleet of fighters, he told reporters that “I am not here to sell airplanes, but I can tell you that the F-16 is the best there is as we attempt interoperability between our air forces in the global fight against terror.” There are two U.S. airplanes competing for that contract: the Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet, and the Lockheed Martin F-16. The American government is not supposed to favor one aircraft, or company, over another in promoting the interests of U.S. business. Lemkin’s explanation for the alleged misconduct: “that was mischaracterized…[I said] the F-18 is a wonderful fighter…but I’m the deputy undersecretary of the U.S. Air Force, I want the Indian air force to fly the F-16 because we [the U.S. Air Force] don’t fly the F-18. I want them to fly the same airplane we fly–to be the centerpiece of an air force to air force relationship.” Asked whether he thought there was a real chance the Indians might purchase the F-16, Lemkin was diplomatic, insisting that that was a decision for the Indians, but he did say that he thought “the message of the relationship between the air forces is very powerful.” And American industry should hope that’s true–as WWS contributor Reuben Johnson wrote here yesterday, that contract is the “Powerball lotto jackpot of defense sales.”
