Summary Strategic considerations and expert advice guide policy decisions. The US Congress can block the export of fighter jets to prevent national security threats. Exported F-35 Lightning II jets entered service with various trusted allies worldwide.
The United States Department of Defense is one of the world's most secretive organizations. It is very much by design, with the principal goal of protecting American military secrets from adversaries abroad. As one would expect, this is the primary reason that almost any military organization strives to maintain practically complete confidentiality regarding their available technology.
However, the United States has long served as one of the globe's industrial powerhouses; providing combat-capable aircraft to our allies worldwide has been necessary, especially given the nation's leadership position within the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) military alliance. Undoubtedly, this presents a rather unavoidable paradox, as the Department of Defense is forced to balance the need to maintain our strategic secrets while also adequately preparing our allies with the equipment needed to fight the conflicts of the day. As a result, the decision to export fighter aircraft like the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is often one of extensive debate and involves many different parties.
In this article, we will take a deeper look at the complex decision-making process that goes into the export of American-built fighter jets. Strategi.