Ambassador (ret.) Yoram Ettinger | “Second Thought: a US-Israel initiative” | December 18, 2025
*While Michael Jordan is Nike’s showroom, transforming Nike into a multi-billion-dollar global lifestyle brand, Israel has been the leading showroom and a mega-billion-dollar real time battle-tested laboratory and much more for the US defense and aerospace industries, Air Force, intelligence community, counter-terrorism, ground and navy special operations, urban and tunnel warfare, drones, air defenses, medical corps, etc.
*Israel’s uniquely intense use of advanced US military systems has enhanced the capabilities of these systems. In addition, it has exposed the vulnerabilities of Chinese and Russian military systems, which are deployed throughout the globe; thus, tilting the global balance of power in favor of the US, and highlighting the superiority of US military systems in the global market. This has yielded mega billions of dollars of US exports, expanding the US employment base (2.5 million people employed by the US defense and aerospace industries), generating billions of dollars of corporate and individual income tax revenues, while serving as the leading battle tactics and training innovation center for the US Armed Forces (e.g., maneuvering combat aircraft, overhauling engines of combat aircraft, facing car bombs, suicide bombers and IEDs, hostage rescue, precision raids).
*Israel’s effective and innovative use of Lockheed-Martin’s F-35 and F-16 and Boeing’s F-15 combat aircraft, as well as dozens of additional advanced US-made military systems, has served as a unique dollar and national security multiplier for the US, bolstering the US’ economy and posture of deterrence.
*The export appeal of the US-made F-35, F-16 and F-15 has been significantly boosted by the Israeli Air Force’s exemplary combat track record, which has demonstrated the reliability, adaptability and superiority of the US-made aircraft, as well as their precision strikes capabilities, advanced avionics, sensors, electronic warfare systems and deep penetration missions. The 50-55-year-old F-15 and F-16 have remained in high demand, globally, due to Israel’s sustained battle-tested performance, which has systematically upgraded their capabilities.
*Lockheed-Martin has benefitted from the recent increased export of the F-16 (e.g., Turkey, Denmark, Bulgaria, Romania, Bahrain, Morocco, Jordan, Slovakia, Taiwan and possibly Ukraine) and the F-35 (e.g., the UK, Canada, Germany, Italy, Finland, Switzerland the Netherlands, Norway, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Denmark, Greece, Romania, Poland and Belgium). Additionally, Boeing exports the F-15 to Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Qatar, Indonesia, etc.
*In 2025, Lockheed-Martin reported an F-35 backlog of $173bn–$179bn. However, in 2018, Israel was the first country to use the F-35 operationally, when top experts doomed the F-35 to failure. But, the Israeli battle-tested laboratory, jointly with Lockheed-Martin, overcame critical technical (software) and mechanical (hardware) glitches, transforming the F-35 from the bane of a high-risk venture to a mega-billion-dollar boon. Over 1,200 F-35s have been exported since 2019, accompanied by an F-35-related 35%-expanded-workforce, reaching 290,000 employees (including subcontractors).
*The uniquely intense Israeli experience in multiple combat theatres and over many thousands of hours has upgraded and highlighted the F-35’s combat effectiveness. It has dramatically enhanced the F-35’s reliability, maintainability, electronic warfare, weapons integration, countermeasures and overall survivability.
*The June 21, 2025 US Air Force offensive against Iran’s 3 major nuclear installations was unimpeded by Iran’s Air Force and air defenses, which were decommissioned on June 13 (and the succeeding week) by Israel’s Air Force. No other US ally could have provided such critical service to the US!
*On a daily basis, Israel’s Air Force has shared with the US manufacturers operational, maintenance and repair lessons, which are relevant to the F-35, F-16 and F-15, saving Lockheed-Martin and Boeing 10-20 years of research and development, yielding to the manufacturers a bonanza of mega billion dollars (e.g., F-35’s research and development cost totaled $55bn), enhancing competitiveness, increasing exports and expanding the employment base (2.5mn employed by the US defense and aerospace industries). More benefits have been generated by the Israeli battle-tested laboratory’s use of a few dozen additional US military systems.
*Israel shares with the US high-grade human intelligence (HUMINT), signals intelligence (SIGINT), and cyber insights, which has thwarted Islamic terrorist plots against U.S. installations and personnel in the Middle East and on US soil (including plots against US airlines and airports). According to the late Senator Daniel Inouye, who served as Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, “the scope of crucial intelligence shared by Israel with the US – on rival and enemy military systems and on counter-terrorism – exceeds the intelligence received from all NATO countries combined.” General George Keegan, who was the Intelligence Chief of the US Air Force, contended that if the US were to procure on its own the intelligence received from Israel, then the US would have to establish 5 CIAs. The annual budget of one CIA is around $15bn, which means a 400% Return-on-Investment of $3.8bn.
*Israel’s posture of deterrence has played the key role in the minimization of regional turbulence, by inducing Arab regimes to conclude six peace treaties with Israel, since they consider Israel a reliable ally in the face of lethal threats posed by Iran’s Ayatollah regime and Muslim Brotherhood terrorism. Israel may be compared to the largest US military base with no need for US soldiers; thus, facilitating the reduction of US troops in the Middle East. Israel’s posture of deterrence has constrained the maneuverability of Russia and China in the Middle East, providing the US forward logistics and the prepositioning of weaponry and ammunition, as well as maintenance, repair and operational facilities, airspace access and critical intelligence, deterring mutual threats (Sunni and Shiite Islamic terrorism), boosting the stability of all pro-US Arab regimes; thus, diminishing regional volatility.
*Israel has, also, fulfilled the role of a fleet of US aircraft carriers – which would be deployed to the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean, joined by several ground divisions – with no need for a single US soldier on board. In 2025, the manufacturing cost of a single top aircraft carrier is $10bn-$13bn (a 340% R-o-I of $3.8bn), and the cost of deploying a single ground division from the US to the Middle East is around $1bn.
*Unlike all other US allies, Israel has reflected a frontier, can-do and defiance-of-odds state of mind.
*Unilke all other US allies, Israel has been a reliable ally irrespective of Left or Right government and public opinion, due to the solid pro-US national consensus.
*Unlike all other US allies, Israel does not require U.S. military bases for its defense (e.g., $36bn annual cost and 80,000 US soldiers in West European US military bases).
*Israel has evolved into a leading research of development center for some 250 US commercial high tech giants, leveraging Israel’s brainpower and extraordinary challenges, which have produced groundbreaking dual-use innovations – advancing the global standard of living – in the areas of medicine, healthcare, biotechnology, agricultural, irrigation and water scarcity, desalination, sewage recycling, climate and energy, food sustainability, electronics, cellphones, autonomous cars, navigation, computer software, cyber security, Artificial Intelligence and defense, etc.
*Contrary to conventional wisdom, the US does not extend annual foreign aid to Israel. Rather, the US makes an annual (low/no risk) investment in Israel, which yields to the US taxpayer an annual Return-on-Investment of (at least) a few hundred percent. US-Israel relations constitute a mutually-beneficial two-way-street, enhancing the economy and national security of both countries.
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