They say there will be too few pilots to fly total transferred aircraft.
A group of 15 members of the House of Representatives wrote a letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin this week, requesting that the Department of Defense expand its F-16 training program for Ukrainian military pilots. The legislators said that the amount of F-16 fighter jets approved for transfer to Ukraine currently exceeds the number of that nation’s pilots being trained by the Defense Department. The legislators said this would make a fair amount of the aircraft useless in combat.
“By the end of the year, Ukraine will have more F-16 aircraft than they will have qualified pilots to fly them,” the group said. “This situation threatens to undermine the strategic advantages these aircraft could provide Ukraine.”
The group added, “The request comes at a critical juncture in Ukraine’s ongoing conflict with Russia, where the deployment of F-16 aircraft has the potential to significantly influence the outcome of the war.”
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For discernment for Secretary Austin as he considers the legislators’ request.
- For members of Congress to be prudent in their appropriations and agreements for foreign aid and military packages.
Sources: Politico, VOA News
