Matt Molnar
2008-03-05, 11:46 AM
MSNBC:
Buying French tankers a poor decision (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23467526/)
By Lt. Col. Rick Francona
Military analyst
MSNBC
updated 6:09 p.m. ET, Tues., March. 4, 2008
[snip]
When asked about the foreign nature of the contract, General Arthur Lichte, commander of Air Mobility Command, operator of the USAF refueling fleet, bristled: “This is an American tanker. It’s flown by American airmen. It has a big American flag on the tail, and every day, it’ll be out there saving American lives.”
Nice try, general. Painting an American flag on the tail of an aircraft does not make it an American tanker. It makes it a French tanker with an American flag on the tail.
[snip]
Relying on foreign suppliers of military equipment is not in our national security interests. What if France decides it does not support or condone a future American military operation somewhere in the world and prohibits French companies from supplying parts to the U.S. armed forces? The new tanker will be the backbone of the American refueling fleet for the next half century. We cannot predict the long-term political situations in other countries that could affect our access to spare parts. [Full article (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23467526/)]
Buying French tankers a poor decision (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23467526/)
By Lt. Col. Rick Francona
Military analyst
MSNBC
updated 6:09 p.m. ET, Tues., March. 4, 2008
[snip]
When asked about the foreign nature of the contract, General Arthur Lichte, commander of Air Mobility Command, operator of the USAF refueling fleet, bristled: “This is an American tanker. It’s flown by American airmen. It has a big American flag on the tail, and every day, it’ll be out there saving American lives.”
Nice try, general. Painting an American flag on the tail of an aircraft does not make it an American tanker. It makes it a French tanker with an American flag on the tail.
[snip]
Relying on foreign suppliers of military equipment is not in our national security interests. What if France decides it does not support or condone a future American military operation somewhere in the world and prohibits French companies from supplying parts to the U.S. armed forces? The new tanker will be the backbone of the American refueling fleet for the next half century. We cannot predict the long-term political situations in other countries that could affect our access to spare parts. [Full article (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23467526/)]