Though it may seem at times that our military is stuck in the past, military planners try to plan for conflicts of the future. The F-35 can certainly be employed in conflicts such as Iraq or Afghanistan, and will likely be just as effective, if not more so, as the F-16 and F/A-18. These types of conflicts are likely to be our primary engagements in the next quarter century and the F-35 needs to be able to meet the types of missions these conflicts would generate.

It would be foolish, in my opinion, to believe that such conflicts are the only future. The United States is losing its global dominance; not, necessarily, from a decline in our own power, but instead from the rise in the relative power of several other nations. The world is becoming multi-polar and not all of those powers will be friendly towards us. China and India are certainly on the rise, and we could be drawn into conflicts involving either country. Europe, Turkey, Russia, and Brazil are also emerging powers which could be large (or larger in the case of Europe) world players within the next 50 years.

Though our military is capable of handling conflicts with these nations currently, we would likely be unable to do so in a conflict 25 years from now if we continue to use current equipment. China and India both operate variations of the SU-30, a plane that is at least as capable as our current assets with the exception of the F-22. China and India are also likely to have stealth fighters of their own within the next 25 to 50 years. Today we dominate in terms of technology, assets, and training. Yet if we let our technology and assets lapse, training alone will not make up for the shortcomings, especially if other nations train their pilots as well as we do. To ensure that we can win the conflicts of the future we must continue to dominate in the areas of training, assets, and technology; the F-35 is part of that dominance.

As to the noise problem should the F-35 come to Boise, there are ways to mitigate it. The current Boise airport master plan calls for the construction of a third runway south of the airport by 2025. Currently a small runway, used as a helicopter assault strip by the Army National Guard, occupies the space. Should the Air Force decide to station a training wing at Boise this runway could be used as their primary runway. The area surrounding the runway, and to the south, is sparsely populated currently. Departing flights could turn south immediately after takeoff. As long as Ada county allows no residential or commercial development to the south, the noise impact on Boise and surrounding communities would be minimal.

The Air Force has not conducted studies yet for many reasons, they are not trying to hide anything. The Air Force has not brought the F-35 to Boise to see how it would impact the population because the F-35 is currently in its development and flight test phase. I would imagine that no spare air frames are available for such a mission. The F-35 has not yet reached production, has not been introduced into active service, and the Air Force has not reached the point of deciding where all of the F-35 training bases will be. When the time comes for deciding if the F-35 will have a training base in Boise, the Air Force and Ada county will conduct all the necessary surveys, including noise impact on the surrounding community.

Also, I tend to be left of center on most issues and pretty liberal on certain issues. Return of the Commie Fighters statements are certainly not characteristic of the liberal mindset, although much of this post was directed at him.

Bronco 93, glad to see someone making comments out of sheer common sense. I totally agree. The Double Ugly was a loud jet. So Bring it on F-35 I love me some JET NOISE!

And finally to Jimtheafl, congratualtions. You are now “That Guy.” The one that has to pronounce his “I’m liberal but still pro-military” stature by saying “I am related to people that are in the military.” Go get one of those cute bumper stickers that say ‘Proud grandfather/uncle of people in the Army.’

Now, Fox12 reports that the F-35’s are twice as loud!!! According to AirForceTimes.com ( http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2008/10/airforce_f35_basing_102608/ ), the F-35 is even louder coming in for a landing, and is Four times as loud as the F15C when it lands!!! I did not voice my concerns before, because I thought the F-15’s and noise would leave in the fall and not return. Myself, and others who telecommute or run businesses from home or commercial zoned areas in South Boise will be impacted by the noise produced by these aircraft. I am afraid that I will have to move if the F-35’s come to Boise. I hope the F-35’s don’t force me and others to resort to moving and take monetary losses in this bad housing market.

Instead of dropping a $150 Million a pop for the f35, we could take the amount of money that about three or four of the plane’s cost and more effectively buy about 3 years of peace in Afghanistan. That would also avoid all the dead innocent civilians that motivate ever more al Quaeda.