Israel, Canada to share work on F-35 fighters

[CrackSmokeRepublican]

Of course the Israelis are going to basically steal whatever they can...

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Israel, Canada to share work on F-35 fighters

By ANDY LEVY-AJZENKOPF, Staff Reporter  
Wednesday, 22 September 2010

OTTAWA — Canada and Israel experienced a brief frisson of diplomatic tension late last month when military technology developer Lockheed Martin granted Israel a lucrative maintenance contract on the development of its new F-35 Lightning II – a.k.a. the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) aircraft – despite not having invested in production of the warplane.

Canada and other NATO allies, such as Denmark, Italy and Britain, had all previously committed funds to develop the stealth fighter in order to secure domestic industrial contracts on the fighter.

In early August, Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak and Defence Ministry Director General Udi Shani visited the United States and met with senior officials in the Pentagon, as well as representatives of Lockheed Martin, to discuss Israel's role in the maintenance contract and purchase of the aircraft.

They agreed that Israel would buy an initial squadron of 20 F-35 jets – at a total cost of $2.75 billion (US) – from the first production series and would only install a few Israel-made systems.

The Americans, meanwhile, agreed that if Israel buys more F-35 squadrons from later production series of the aircraft, the installation of more Israeli-made systems would be allowed. Israel has expressed its desire to eventually purchase 75 planes in total.

To sweeten the deal, Lockheed Martin said it would buy parts and systems for the F-35 from Israeli companies at a cost of $4 billion.

It's this latter incentive that had some Canadian military and industry officials asking why Lockheed Martin would offer such a deal to Israel, but the government shrugged off suggestions of any ill will toward the deal.

Jay Paxton, a spokesperson for the Department of National Defence, told The CJN that Canada "welcomed" Israel's purchase of the jets.

"The government of Israel recently signed an industrial participation plan with Lockheed Martin to facilitate Israeli participation in the JSF program. The plan is... similar to the one Canada signed with Lockheed Martin in 2006," he wrote in an e-mail.

Paxton added that Canada will also receive "a decrease" in the price of its jets as a result of Israel's acquisition.

"As well, Canadian industry will reap millions in additional contracts building parts for Israeli jets," he added.

In a Sept. 10 report in the Vancouver Sun, Defence Minister Peter Mackay said Canada has contributed nearly $170 million to develop the F-35 and that Canadian firms have already been awarded close to $300 million in contracts for the plane.

The government plans to spend $9 billion to buy the fighters for Canada's Air Force, but it has been criticized by opposition parties for not obtaining guaranteed industrial regional benefits from Lockheed Martin in exchange.


With files from Ha'aretz

http://www.cjnews.com/index.php?option= ... &Itemid=86

[CrackSmokeRepublican]

In effect, it would seem, the jews own lockheed martin and boeing

Israel Seals Unprecedented Weapons Deals With the US

Nora Barrows-Friedman, Truthout, Oct 20 2010

Israel has recently sealed a deal to purchase 20 brand-new Lockheed Martin F-35 fighter jets in a contract that, at $2.75b, is one of the largest arms purchases ever made by the state. The entire contract is paid for by an ongoing US military aid package under the auspices of the US government's Foreign Military Sales program. Israel had originally attempted to purchase 75 jets, a plan that was discussed in meetings between Israeli Defense Minister Barak, Israeli Defense Ministry Director-General Shani, US Pentagon officials and Lockheed Martin in Sep 2008. According to an Aug 16 report in Haaretz, the deal stalled when the Israeli Air Force demanded that Israeli-made systems be installed "for specialties such as electronic warfare and communications." The IAF also wanted to modify the jet's capacity to carry Israeli-made missiles. Lockheed declined, saying that the deal was a "closed package." Haaretz reported:

    They agreed that Israel would begin by buying a first squadron of 20 F-35 jets from the first production series. Lockheed would only install a few Israel-made systems. The US, meanwhile, have agreed that if Israel buys more F-35 squadrons from later production series, the installation of more Israeli-made systems will be allowed. To sweeten the terms of the deal, Lockheed agreed to buy more component parts for the F-35s from Israeli firms at a price of around $4b. Shani said: "Apart from the jet's operational capacity, a significant factor in closing the deal included previous agreements on integrating Israeli defense contractors in producing the jet for other clients."

The first fleet of jets, valued at over $96m each, are expected to arrive in Israel in 2015. Preceding the Oct 7 signing of the Lockheed contract, Israeli ambassador to the US Oren told the WaPo on Oct 6 that "incentives" were offered to Israel to extend its so-called moratorium on the illegal settlement colonies in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem to keep the Palestinian Authority in direct talks. Oren told the WaPo that the Obama administration had come up with "a number of suggestions, incentives if you would, to the Israelis that would enable the government to maybe pass a limited extension of two or three months." It was unclear whether the Lockheed contract was specifically offered as one of the incentives, but Oren added that the purchase agreement was "an event of great strategic and historic significance," and that it would "serve the common interests" of the US and Israel. Oren said that the purchase of US arms and military technologies create "thousands of more jobs, both in the US and Israel." In late July 2010, the US House Appropriations Sub-Committee on Defense increased funding for Israeli missile defense programs to its highest level ever – approving $422.7 million for next year's budget – and adding $95.7 million to the original White House funding request for the long-range Arrow interceptor project and the medium-range David's Sling, according to sources quoted by the JPost:

The lion's share, $108.8m, will go to the Arrow 3 system, which the US signed off on after some initial hesitation.

The funding also includes $205 million for the short-range missile interceptor program dubbed Iron Dome, initially approved by Obama last Spring. This defense spending package is more than double that of last year's. Since 2006, US taxpayers have funded approximately $1b in joint US-Israel missile defense programs such as the Arrow 3 and Iron Dome projects. The Arrow project, for example, is jointly produced by Boeing and Israel Aerospace Industries. Last year, as Truthout reported, Obama signed over $2.775b to Israel, the first installment of a ten-year $30b agreement for an expanded military aid package to the Israeli government:

    The package is earmarked completely for Israel's military budget instead of the prior allocation to both civilian and military infrastructure. This massive military package is over and above the annual $3.1b in loan guarantees to Israel that the Obama administration plans to continue. As a part of the ten-year agreement, Israel is required to contract 75% of the package toward the purchase of US-made military equipment and ammunition, intended to further subsidize US weapons manufacturers.

Additionally, in Dec 2009, the Obama administration doubled a Bush-era arms contract with Israel to store $800m worth of military equipment, technology and ordnance inside the state. Included in this program is the caveat that the US could have immediate access to the weapons cache in the event of a military "emergency," though the definition and parameters of such an emergency were unclear. Prof Francis Boyle told Truthout that it's not surprising that these weapons contracts are being signed during the tenuous but continuing US-brokered direct talks between the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority. Boyle told Truthout:

    The talks are not going anywhere, and these incentives are sweeteners to get Netanyahu to go along with the talks. The US are allowing Israel to gobble up the West Bank and East Jerusalem. It's a public relations exercise, a dog and pony show. The main act is going on somewhere else. Israel is buying their weapons from us, and the people who gain are the US weapons contractors. The Israelis get the weapons, but all the profits go to our war contractors. Everyone's making money, and the American people are getting ripped off. This is nothing new. By amassing weapons and military supremacy in the region, Israel is actively preserving an option to attack neighboring countries. They're moving large amounts of weapons into the region, and it's a very dangerous thing. "But it's not only the US that is doing this. The French and the British are also moving weapons into the region to be used if they decide to use them.

The US-Israeli F-35 fighter jet deal came on the heels of Washington's announcement in September that it plans to sell $60b worth of weapons and military equipment including 84 F-15 fighter jets to the government of Saudi Arabia, making it the largest arms deal in history. An unnamed senior US official was quoted in the NYT as saying that the enormous weapons deal could be described as a counterthreat toward Iran:

    We want Iran to understand that its nuclear program is not getting them leverage over their neighbors, that they are not getting an advantage. We want the Iranians to know that every time they think they will gain, they will actually lose. The sale is mainly intended as a building block for Middle East regional defenses to box in Iran.

Along with the fleet of F-15 fighter jets, the Saudi-US deal includes 70 Apache attack helicopters, 72 troop-transport helicopters and 36 surveillance helicopters and the possibility of ships and antimissile defenses if the deal goes forward. Congress is set to approve the plan in a vote this month. Stephen Walt commented on the supposed Iranian "threat" in Foreign Policy on Sep 21, saying:

    It seems like an awful lot of weaponry to 'contain' a country whose entire defense budget, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies, is only $10b.

http://niqnaq.wordpress.com/2010/10/26/ ... nd-boeing/

[CrackSmokeRepublican]

Too Big to Fail: Lockheed Martin's "Got Their Fingers Everywhere", Says Author

Posted Jan 04, 2011 09:05am EST by Stacy Curtin in Politics
Too big to fail?

That's been the key question asked of Wall Street's biggest banks since the September 2008 collapse of Lehman Brothers, which sent shock waves through the global financial system and led to the worst recession this country has seen since the Great Depression.

But, there is another firm far from the circles of Wall Street for which that same question should be asked, says William Hartung, author of the new book Prophets of War. The subtitle of his book says it all: Lockheed Martin and the Making of the Military-Industrial Complex.

With $40 billion in annual revenue, Lockheed Martin is the single largest recipient of U.S. tax dollars. The company receives about $36 billion in government contracts per year. In 2008, $29 billion of that was for U.S. military contracts – a dollar figure 25% higher than its competitors Boeing Co. and Northrop Grumman.

What does that mean for you, the U.S. taxpayer? According to Hartung, each taxpaying household contributes $260 to Lockheed's coffers each year!

All evidence enough that the company is "too big to fail", as Hartung tells Aaron in the accompanying clip.

A prime example of Washington looking out for Lockheed happened just last year when debate ensued over whether to continue the company's grossly expensive F-22 stealth fighter program, says Hartung, who has covered the defense industry for years and is also the director of the Arms and Security Initiative at the New America Foundation.

The Pentagon eventually did suspend funds terminating Lockheed's development of the F-22 Raptor, which has been the most costly fighter plane ever. But, at the same time the U.S. Defense Department cut off funds for the F-22, it added an additional $4 billion to the Lockheed's F-35 fighter plane program. The government "basically took with one hand and gave back to Lockheed with the other," says Hartung of a company that is the only major contractor of fighter planes for the U.S. Airforce.

Warning from the past

Two weeks from now marks the 50th anniversary of President Eisenhower's famous "military-industrial complex" speech cautioning against "undue influence" from large and politically powerful defense companies. According to Hartung, Lockheed Martin epitomizes the exact threat Eisenhower warned about.

By now you might be wondering where the defense contractor's remaining $7 billion in government contract goes. "They have got their fingers everywhere now," Hartung tells Aaron. As outlined in his book, Lockheed does way more than produce military aircraft and weaponry. From the U.S. Census Bureau to the U.S. Postal Service to the Internal Revenue Service, "pretty much name a government agency and they are involved," he says.

Despite Lockheed sheer size, its stronghold on so many government agencies is evidence enough that the company is "too big to fail." "If the government becomes so dependent on Lockheed, for many different activities it will be hard to hold them accountable if they underperform or if there is some sort of whiff of scandal."

Bigger may not be better, but it's working

Hartung's scathing criticism of Lockheed Martin comes from his belief that "they have not done the job well, often enough," pointing to decades of cost overruns, a corporate history littered with corruption scandals and the fact that the company was one of the first ever to receive a federal bailout back in the 1970s.

When it comes down to it, Lockheed's dominance – even with what some might call a checkered past – has much to do with the company's ability to influence those in power, says Hartung. In 2009, it spent nearly $15 million on campaign contributions and lobbying fees — the second highest amount for defense contractors.

Another key factor that has helped the defense contractor secure the most U.S. military contracts is the company's ability to exploit the revolving door between Washington, the industry and itself, says Hartung. Not only has this led to the company having strong influence over those who hold the U.S. government's purse stings, many who are former Lockheed employees or board members, it has allowed the company to influence foreign policy decisions like pressing for war with Iraq.

In the publicity notes for the book, Hartung claims "Lockheed Martin has also funded right-wing think tanks that have done everything from press for war with Iraq to lobby for the "Star Wars" missile defense program." He tells Aaron that they are using these think tanks to make the points that are "embarrassing to make themselves."

Hartung acknowledges that "we need companies like Lockheed Martin to defend the country," but he says that a lot more can be done to regulate the industry by setting "stricter accountability rules."

http://finance.yahoo.com/tech-ticker/to ... 35769.html

[CrackSmokeRepublican]

Bruce Pitcairn Jackson

Bruce Pitcairn Jackson is considered to be a neo-conservative.

Jackson is reputed to have been involved with U.S. Military Intelligence (1979-90), as well as the International Institute for Strategic Studies and on the advisory board of the New Atlantic Initiative. Jackson is a former vice president in the weapons division of Lockheed Martin (1993-2002).

He has served as the Chairman of the Project for the New American Century (PNAC) and as chair of the Committee for the Liberation of Iraq (CLI). He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

According to John B. Judis, Jackson played a key role both in establishing the CLI and in lining up Eastern European nations to join the Bush administration's coalition of the willing that supported the invasion of Iraq. "In the late 1990s, while working for Lockheed Martin, Jackson avidly promoted the expansion of NATO into Eastern Europe," he writes. "This year Jackson was able to parlay his NATO connections into support for the administration's war plans for Iraq. As the Bush administration was desperately searching for allies, Jackson helped draw up a declaration from the foreign ministers of the 'Vilnius Ten,' the 10 Eastern European countries that are up for NATO membership. ... Jackson set up the Committee for the Liberation of Iraq with Randy Scheunemann as its president. Scheunemann is another envoy without accountability. While working closely with Jackson on the NATO committee, he has been a registered lobbyist for Latvia, Macedonia and Romania, and a consultant on Iraq policy to Rumsfeld. Jackson and Scheunemann's biggest success was probably the Vilnius Ten declaration, which was the product of a dinner Jackson attended in late January at the Slovak embassy in Washington with representatives of those nations. ... Jackson's particular contribution was to tell the Vilnius Ten foreign ministers that signing the declaration would help win U.S. approval of their membership in NATO." [1]

Jackson and Scheunemann are also closely connected to the Vilnius Ten through the Project on Transitional Democracies:

"Bruce Jackson is the founder and President of the Project on Transitional Democracies. The Project is a multi-year endeavor aimed at accelerating the pace of reform in post-1989 democracies and advancing the date for the integration of these democracies into the institutions of the Euro-Atlantic.

"From 1979 to 1990, Bruce Jackson served in the United States Army as a Military Intelligence Officer. From 1986 to 1990, he served in the Office of the Secretary of Defense in a variety of policy positions pertaining to nuclear forces and arms control. Upon leaving the Department of Defense in 1990, Mr. Jackson joined Lehman Brothers, an investment bank in New York, where he was a strategist in the firm's proprietary trading operations. Between 1993 and 2002, Mr. Jackson was Vice President for Strategy and Planning at Lockheed Martin Corporation.

"During 1995 and 1996, Mr. Jackson was National Co-Chairman of the Bob Dole/Dole for President Finance Committee. In 1996, he was a delegate to the Republican National Convention where he served on the Platform Committee and the Platform's subcommittee for National Security and Foreign Policy. During the 2000 Presidential Campaign, he was a delegate committed to Governor George W. Bush and chaired the Foreign Policy Subcommittee of the Republican Platform Committee.

"Mr. Jackson is the President of the U.S. Committee on NATO, a non-profit corporation formed in 1996 to promote the expansion of NATO and the strengthening of ties between the United States and Europe. During the 2002-2003, he served as the Chairman of the Committee for the Liberation of Iraq. He continues to serve on the Board of Directors of the Project for the New American Century, a non-profit corporation involved in educating American opinion on foreign policy and national security."

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?ti ... P._Jackson

[abduLMaria]

Of course the Israelis are going to basically steal whatever they can...

i worked for one of the prime electronics contractors for 8 years, including working on the team that did the R&D for what became the JSF main radio.

and i can tell you, that defense contractor is chock-a-block full of Jewish Zionists and Christian Zionists.

1000 employees ... 500 engineers ... most of them Zionists.  can you imagine ?