The United States and its allies and partners are facing challenges from adversaries around the world – China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, and a host of non-state actors. To deter aggression, and to prevail if needed, America needs to stay ahead of its adversaries.
In addition to wielding superior capabilities, America’s deterrent posture requires a robust, thriving defense industrial base. As a longtime supplier in the F-35 manufacturing supply chain, Gentex Corporation, and thousands of supplier companies like ours, are doing our part.
Congress needs to do its part to ensure that we continue to invest in policies and budgets that keep America’s defense industrial base strong, with support for programs like the F-35.
The F-35 plays a major role in our nation’s economic security. The F-35 supports nearly 300,000 high-tech and advanced manufacturing jobs like those at Gentex, as well as nearly 1,000 small business suppliers in the United States, directly impacting the lives of workers like the ones we employ, as well as their families and communities. The overall direct and indirect economic effect of the F-35 amounts to over $72 billion a year, which is more than the GDP of Rhode Island!
As a business who is part of one of the largest, most sophisticated supply chains anywhere, we have a unique perspective. Companies like ours build components critical to the F-35 Lightning II, an advanced, 5th generation fighter that, as Air Force Chief Gen. C.Q. Brown has said, is the “cornerstone” of America’s air power.
Gentex has been integral to the supply chain since the beginning of the F-35 program. Today, facilities in three states produce critical components for the core helmet assembly that is customized for each pilot. Our technology helps the pilot truly tap into the next generation capabilities of the F-35 to visualize and navigate the battlespace as never before.
Nevertheless, we – supplier companies and their employees – continue to experience challenges from inflation, which hasn’t been fully realized, and from a very tight job market, where skilled workers have been in high demand for a long time.
The United States is not out of the woods by any means. According to a report from the National Defense Industrial Association, key industrial readiness indicators for great power competition are going in the wrong direction. America’s defense industrial base has:
-Fewer people – 1.1 million defense workers compared to 3 million in 1985.
-Fewer companies – Down 40 percent since a decade ago.
-Less funding – 3.2 percent of GDP, down from over 5 percent.
-Less predictability – Continuing resolutions – temporary spending bills that are passed when Congress and the President do not reach an agreement on the federal budget – prevent new starts and increase delays.
Congress needs to address these issues urgently which begins with ensuring reliable funding for critical defense programs that support the defense industrial base. Congress should start by fully funding the F-35.
The F-35 also plays a key role in our national security. It’s an incredibly effective deterrent, with its low observability and the most advanced sensors in the world. No wonder it’s in demand from so many of our country’s allies and partners. Soon, America will have an upgraded Block 4 F-35, with even more advanced capability to ensure America stays ahead of any adversary.
We are proud of our role in the defense industrial base, and proud to contribute to the F-35 supply chain, which helps ensure that our military pilots can accomplish their missions and return home safely.
As an ad from the Air Force says, “Earth is 70 percent water and 30 percent land, but the entire sky belongs to us.” Congress needs to ensure America continues to “own the sky” by further ramping up to full production levels of the F-35, the only 5th generation stealth fighter in production.
Some programs are still blueprints; others are outdated legacy programs. The fifth generation F-35 is neither. It’s the most advanced fighter in the world, and it’s rolling off American assembly lines every day. Support for the F-35 strengthens America’s national and economic security – today and tomorrow.
Michael Uffelman works for GENTEX Corporation as the F-35 Platform Lead.
