The United States could severely weaken all the F-35 fighter jets of its allies without a shot being fired. That’s according to an episode of the Dutch investigative journalism program released earlier this month.
“America sits at the controls,” say the Dutch reporters. The series (Argos, a sort of Dutch Four Corners) describes the F-35 as “under Trump’s wings.”
The concern relates to the F-35’s software, the code of which is only known to the United States. US allies’ operating the jets regularly update the software based on US-directed changes.
It is not clear whether the jets’ capacity would simply degrade over time if cooperation with the US ceased, or whether there are more sinister implications. Following claims in the Argos report, US officials were forced to deny there is a “kill switch” embedded in the F-35 code.
However, according to a former director of French military intelligence, Christophe Gomart, “If America doesn’t agree with a military action, you can’t use the F-35 fighter jets.”
The F-35 is the premier fighter jet in the command of the armed forces of the Western bloc. Australia’s Air Force is dependent on them, currently operating 75 F-35 jets. The Netherlands, similarly, operates 46 jets.
The alarming consideration followed Trump’s refusal to rule out a military seizure of Greenland, a territory of Denmark. Such a seizure would most likely mark the end of the NATO alliance.
Europe has mostly united behind Denmark, excluding right-wing populist outliers Hungary and Slovakia. Trump once said, “The European Union was created to screw the United States, and it’s done a very good job of it.”
On Monday, Denmark moved to station troops and its army chief on Greenland. The US has reportedly mobilised a 1,500-man strong division trained for polar warfare.
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