הדאגה בישראל והחשש מהרחבת ההשפעה הסינית: עסקת מכירת F-35 לסעודיה | פרשנות

Could you set the stage for us here? How significant is this sale? The sale is one of the most significant military strategic developments in U.S.-Middle East relations in many years. Allowing Saudi Arabia to purchase the F-35 is not just the sale of a jet fighter. It is inviting Saudi Arabia to join a global intelligence infrastructure, because at the heart of the capability of the F-35 is a constantly updated, vast intelligence database that is manipulated by artificial intelligence softwares to produce specific targeting against an amazing array of electronic and kinetic threats. Allowing Saudi Arabia into this really network, a virtual alliance, so to speak, is a very significant and substantial advance in the Saudi-American strategic relationship. So as you alluded to, Rick, this is very significant. So far, only Israel has the F-35s. This would make Saudi Arabia the second nation in the Middle East to have it. What does the U.S. get out of this? How could this benefit U.S. national security interests? Well, we have to remember that we are in a vital strategic competition in the Middle East with China. China has for decades been organizing and advancing its influence to try to displace the influence of the United States. It has a very significant military relationship with Saudi Arabia. They recently conducted naval exercises. And China has organized a coalition of all Arab nations to try to advance mutual goals, namely Chinese goals, and to displace American influence. The United States really, in a way, had little choice but to sell the F-35 to Saudi Arabia, because if we didn't, in just a few short years, China would probably be able to sell multiple fifth-generation fighters to Saudi Arabia. That would very much move its national security infrastructure towards Chinese technology and Chinese influence. Today, Saudi Arabia mainly uses American technology and is firmly in the American technology sphere, which is strengthened by the F-35 sale, even though there are substantial concerns both inside the U.S. government and outside the U.S. government that sale of the F-35 to Saudi Arabia could pose a potential risk of compromising its technology to the Chinese presence in that country. And of course, selling this fighter to Saudi Arabia without a comprehensive Saudi-Israeli political settlement path forward is unsettling for Israel. What can the U.S. do to ensure that China doesn't exploit this deal, this F-35 sale? Because there is sensitive American technology in that plane. Well, yes, there are many procedures the United States can take. And the United States takes most of these measures with all of the F-35 sales partners, over 20 countries now, to purchase or operate this aircraft. All training of pilots takes place in the United States. Training of maintainers, for the most part, as well. So in a sense, we get to know the community that will be flying and maintaining the F-35. And this will have to be extended to Saudi Arabia as well. And of course, there's control over the enabling intelligence database. In order to sustain access to that intelligence database, Saudi Arabia and the United States are going to have to be in agreement with many aspects of behavior going forward. To include a responsible but non-violent relationship with Israel.