The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is proving to be one of the most complex aircraft ever designed– as well as the most expensive. A report by the Government Accountability Office that was covered in today’s Los Angeles Times estimates the aircraft will cost $1.4 million per hour over the next 25 years.
Even though the U.S. Air Force and Navy need upgrades to replace their aging fleets, is the F-35–a project that has already cost taxpayers millions upon millions in delays and setbacks–the right option?
Next week, we bring defense spending to the forum with an Intelligence Squared debate titled “Cutting the Pentagon’s Budget is a Gift To Our Enemies.” In the meantime, watch the following video from Defend and Reform: The Future of America’s Defense Spending, featuring Brookings Institution fellow Michael O’Hanlon on where the U.S. could trim its ballooning budget.
Michael O’Hanlon: Where U.S. Could Cut Defense Spending from The Weekly Standard and Concerned Veterans for America on FORA.tv