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CNP Analyst Briefs Members of the Dutch Parliament

Zachary Warrender, co-author of CNP's 2008 Agility Across the Spectrum: A Future Force Blueprint, was invited to speak to visiting members of the Dutch Parliament on the role of air forces in future conflicts and the capabilities of 5th Generation fighters like the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF).

The Standing Committee on Defense of the House of Representatives of the Netherlands visited the United States to gather information before an important decision relating to the purchase of F-35 JSFs. To assist them in making an informed decision they requested meetings with U.S. experts on a variety of related issues. Mr. Warrender was invited to speak on a panel that included experts from National Defense University and the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

In his presentation, Mr. Warrender described how the United States and its allies have enjoyed total air dominance in all recent conflicts. However, he described emerging threats that may erode that dominance including competing 4th Generation aircraft as well as a proliferation of advanced air defense systems. Fifth Generation fighters like the F-35 JSF have been touted as a solution to these vulnerabilities. Mr. Warrender described some of their advanced features and also outlined recent criticism of the aircraft. In

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conclusion, he recommended that the F-35 JSF be judged in the context of what future air combat can be expected to look like rather than focusing solely on metrics used in the past. In particular, its effectiveness at linking land, sea, and air assets (both manned and unmanned) into a networked battle force is the primary metric that should be used to judge the aircraft.