We need to fight opposition

Just when you think people across southern Idaho support the possibility of bringing a new fighter program to the state, someone throws a curve ball.

Earlier this week, the Mountain Home News received a link to a Boise-based website expressing opposition over the F-35 joint strike fighter program. Their argument is no different than opposition groups in Florida and Arizona. They worry the jet is significantly louder than all previous fighter programs. Apparently quoting a story in the Air Force Times, they claim the jet is twice as loud as jets already in service.

But not so fast. It seems these rumors don't hold a whole lot of weight.

Data released by Lockheed Martin, which is building the jet, seems to dispel many of these rumors and fears. Results from months of testing at its test center at Fort Worth, Texas, and Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., indicate the jet makes roughly the same amount of noise as jets already in the U.S. inventory.

Those tests indicate the jet is one decibel louder than F-15s already stationed here. However, they added, the F-35 is also quieter than Navy and Marine Corps F/A-18s that visit Mountain Home on a regular basis.

Can we trust the data? You bet!

The reason is simple. Any company wanting to do business with the U.S. government (and consequently the U.S. taxpayers) must remain open and honest with its research data. If it fudged the numbers or left out pertinent details in its recent briefings to federal, state and local officials, there would be heck to pay. With their reputation on the line, they would stand to lose a very lucrative, profitable, multi-year contract.

Granted, any jet noise will irritate some folks, especially those that unwisely buy a home near a busy airport (which the Boise opposition group alluded at regarding plans to base F-35s at Gowen Field). That's a real easy problem to solve. If you're foolish enough to buy a home near an already busy airport, then it's your fault.

Mountain Home does have an advantage here. The base's semi-remote location means little to no impact to those living in the city of Mountain Home. The base has no encroachment issues, and training missions normally head south toward the Mountain Home Range Complex.

Despite the opposition to the noise, there's one question that never holds any weight: Why do we need the F-35 or its cousin, the F-22? Some argue it's not necessary to spend so much money on the aircraft since our current fight in Iraq and Afghanistan are against forces that lack credible anti-air capabilities.

But what about tomorrow? Or next year? Or 10 years from now? Who will we fight then, and will we be ready?

During the war in Vietnam, we learned this lesson the hard way. Going face-to-face with Soviet-built MiGs, U.S. forces were unable to control the skies of Vietnam. We watched our air-to-air kill ratio plummet to 3 to 1.

From those hard lessons came the F-15, an airframe we continue to fly nearly 35 years later. It's still a formidable jet against older third- and some fourth-generation fighters like the MiG 31, but it's no match against an F-22 or F-35.

However, times change and so does the threat. As the United States fields its fifth-generation fighters, other countries with their own self-interests at stake are busy building their own. In a recent announcement, the Russian government declared it had finished work on its first fifth-generation fighter, with nations like China doing the same.

It stands to reason both countries will export the jets to nations willing to shell out plenty of bucks for these next-generation fighters.

Consider this. The North Korean air force today is clearly no match for today's U.S. fighters. However, what would happen if the North Korean government got its hands on just one squadron of fifth-generation fighters?

Come to think of it, how would the situation in the Middle East change if nations like Iran got their hands on the same types of jets?

The unfortunate fact is there are many nations out there committed to destroying the ideals of freedom and democracy and will stand at nothing to make this dream a reality. Even nations like Venezuela, long considered more of a pest than a real problem, constitute a future threat to freedom and democracy. Venezuela just entered a deal to buy fighters and submarines from Russia, which raises the level of concern.

Like it or not, the United States and its allies must remain on the cutting edge of technology to defeat these enemies before they strike. It takes years to design, build, test and field any new fighter. By the time an enemy attacks, it's already too late.

We lose.

The answer is the F-35. It represents the future of U.S. airpower and the very best this nation has to offer. It means we can go toe to toe with even the most formidable foe at a moment's notice and win 100-0. We can win today or 10 years from now.

Having the opportunity to base this future in southern Idaho is a welcome bonus.