U.S. Defense

Donald Trump has muddled the strategic direction of the U.S. military and still left the armed forces short of men and equipment. (Photo collage: MPG)

Trump F-35 Program Threat Will Hurt U.S. Defense; Another Tip to Russia?

Donald Trump threatened to cancel the much-maligned F-35 Lightning II Strike Fighter program yesterday, a move that would hurt the nation’s defense and provide a much needed boost to Russia, which would have to develop expensive new counter-measures if the plane goes into combat service. Trump’s unexpected criticism of the program, purportedly because of its cost, came out of left field and sent the plane maker’s stock plummeting yesterday by almost 2 percent....