US defense secretary to attend F-35 ceremony — Pentagon
As part of trip to Asia, Europe, Ashton Carter will stop in Israel next week to see arrival of stealth fighter, meet with Liberman
Judah Ari Gross is The Times of Israel's religions and Diaspora affairs correspondent.
US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter will attend the reception ceremony for Israel’s new F-35 stealth fighter jet next week, as part of a trip to Asia, Europe and the Middle East, the Pentagon said.
On December 12, two F-35 jets will touch down on the runway of the Nevatim Air Base, in southern Israel, becoming the latest acquisition of the Israel Defense Forces — and one of the most expensive, at more than NIS 380 million ($100 million) per plane.
The two planes landing on December 12 will be the first of 50 aircraft that Israel has agreed to purchase from Lockheed-Martin.
The US secretary of defense will join Israel’s political and military upper echelon on stage at the event. He is slated to give a speech at the ceremony and host a press conference afterwards with his counterpart Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman, the US Department of Defense said in a statement.
The purchase of the exorbitantly expensive planes is possible, in part, due to the defense aid package given by the United States to Israel each year.
“The arrival of the aircraft highlights the close defense cooperation between the United States and Israel,” the Pentagon said.
Carter kicked off his travels with a visit to Japan on Tuesday. From there, he will continue to India and Bahrain before arriving in Israel on December 12.
The US defense secretary will be in Israel for one day before moving on to Italy and the United Kingdom, the Pentagon said.
It was not clear if Carter would also meet with Liberman or any other high ranking Israeli officials during his trip, or if his Israel visit will be limited to the F-35 ceremony. A request for comment from the Pentagon went unanswered.
Once the F-35 fighter jets arrive, Israel will be the first country after the United States to receive the fifth-generation aircraft.
The state-of-the-art F-35 is poised to become a central pillar of Israel’s air strategy, a senior air force official told reporters last month. The stealth fighter is considered one of the most advanced aircraft in the world, capable of taking on most missile defense batteries, including the Russian S-300, which was recently acquired by Iran.
With its advanced stealth capabilities, the plane “lets you operate in these kinds of environments,” the officer said. “I’m not saying the S-300 will look for the F-35 and see nothing, but we will have a strong and effective tool in our hands.”
The Times of Israel Community.