Americans offering Croatia free F-16 fighter jets

[Aptrgangr]

Americans offering Croatia free F-16 fighter jets

NACIONAL REVEALS the outcome of a recent meeting between the head of the Croatian Air Force and US military officials in the Pentagon


THE CROATIAN military delegation that visited the USA from 10 to 19 September was led by Generals Slavko Baric, Mladen Kruljac and Vlado Bagaric

The United States of America is ready to offer Croatia used F-16 fighter jets for free, and everything else depends on the Croatian side, Nacional learned mid last week from a source close to the military diplomacy in Croatia. The decision has significant political weight, because the USA is through it demonstrating the scope of the partnership and the alliance with Croatia, which has, after Serbia's recent rejection of closer cooperation with NATO, its spurning of the UN plan for Kosovo, and the open opposition of Serbian Prime Minister Vojislava Kostunica to the decisions of the High International Representative to Bosnia & Herzegovina Miroslav Lajcak, demonstrated itself to be the only stable and democratically mature country in the region. As such it has for the USA become a guarantor of security in the Balkans, and Croatia has also show the USA's partners its readiness to accept a part of the refugees in the event of a possible repeat war in Kosovo.

A new war in Kosovo is not very likely and is the last option under consideration, but that possibility too must be planned for in time. Besides, top US military officials are exceedingly satisfied with all joint Croatian-American military operations in Afghanistan, especially with the capability of the Croatians who train and are mentors to the Afghan army in the frame of the OMLT teams, and with the announcement that Croatia will deploy another such team in the spring of next year and increase the Croatian military contingent to 300 members, 100 more than there are in Afghanistan at the moment. Croatia has over the past two years demonstrated consistency in its relations with the USA, and it has fulfilled what it promised, which has bolstered its credibility with American foreign policy officials. Nacional's sources in the military diplomacy consider the donation of F-16's to Croatia a real possibility, because something similar was offered a few years ago to the Czech Republic. This kind of an American move towards Croatia would have wide-reaching security significance. Croatia would as the guarantor of stability in the Balkans in the American perception also monitor a part of the former Yugoslavia with the F-16 aircraft, although not, of course, Serbia.

The reasons why the USA would give the used F-16 to Croatia should be sought not only within the scope of spheres of political interest, but also outside of them. The fact is, if Croatia decides to purchase new fighter aircraft, that Sweden's Gripen multipurpose fighter jet is a more affordable solution both in base price and on the long term. Besides, American companies are known for wanting to at all costs avoid any kind of offset program, which would encompass US investment into Croatia in a value greater than 4 billion kuna or that Croatia exports products to that value to the USA, because that is how much the project of acquiring new fighter aircraft for the Croatian Air Force will in fact cost. Unlike the Americans the Swedish are known for fulfilling all of their offset obligations towards Gripen buyers, so that it is hard to expect that any Croatian Government would opt to go for a more expensive and, on the long term, a more unfavourable purchase if both planes are of equal quality.


CROATIAN AIR FORCE COMMANDER Brigadier General Vlado Bagaric

Instead of that, the US "present" of the F-16's to Croatia would not be only politically significant but also profitable for US aircraft manufacturer Lockheed Martin. The Americans will unload older, but still good aircraft, which in storage are not serving their purpose anyways, and Croatia will for the "donated" aircraft have to pay the US for pilot training, spare parts and their likely modernisation. Croatia will have to build new landing strips and airports for the aircraft, i.e. the complete infrastructure, so that the price will be significantly greater than that of the "free" aircraft. What is more, the production of the F-16 will be terminated in a few years and all of the technological know-how and upgrade possibilities will be turned to the F-22 aircraft, which costs from 120-130 million US dollars. In ten to fifteen years the price of the F-22 will be significantly lower. When Croatia is getting rid of the F-16, it will still because of all the these factors again have to opt for the American manufacturer, because the purchase of any other aircraft of European origin would lead to great outlays for the retraining of pilots and the changes to the infrastructure on the ground.

Americans offering Croatia free F-16 fighter jets - NACIONAL

F-16 vs. Gripen - Croatian Air Force To Spend 800 Million $ For New Wings - NACIONAL

[Kernunnos]

In politics Santa Clauses are just wolves in sheep's clothes.

[Marcus Marulus]

Quidquid id est, timeo Danaos et dona ferentes.

[Sergius]

I guess they lied about there not being such a thing as a free lunch...

[Marcus Marulus]

But, wait a minute, it is coming from, no more or less...NACIONAL! It is one of the worst tabloids published in Croatia. Anything coming from this yellow weekly must be taken with a pinch of salt, because they mostly write rubbish, spread gossip and misinformation. "Nacional" is on the level of the German "Bild", but maybe with some feigned "seriousness" (sometimes). So I won't believe it before I see it in some trustworthy source.

The decision has significant political weight, because the USA is through it demonstrating the scope of the partnership and the alliance with Croatia, which has, after Serbia's recent rejection of closer cooperation with NATO

Serbia has recently been taking a course towards neutrality, ie. not joining the NATO. The party DSS, the most powerful party in the present day government coalition of Serbia (Vojislav Koštunica, the president of DSS is at the same time the prime minister of Serbia) has even issued a Declaration of Neutrality of Serbia.

I wish we had a politician like Koštunica.

http://forum.stirpes.net/geopolitcs/...eutrality.html

Croatia, which has demonstrated itself to be the only stable and democratically mature country in the region.

I am really pissed of with this sentence...argghhh.... ... it means, in translation: "The most faithful servant of the globalists, even to its own detriment". I will be happy when Yankees start to designate Croatia as democratically immature.

As such it has for the USA become a guarantor of security in the Balkans

No thanks!

and Croatia has also show the USA's partners its readiness to accept a part of the refugees in the event of a possible repeat war in Kosovo.

Now this is the worst part. As if we did not have enough problems of our own, as to accept refugees from others' wars. And to accept some Albanian narco-dealers from Kosovo (as if we hadn't enough of them already), it would be just fine. Let them go to Albania instead.

A new war in Kosovo is not very likely and is the last option under consideration, but that possibility too must be planned for in time.

It is not likely, but nevertheless plans and suggestions are being made for refugees and the like. Contradictions...

Besides, top US military officials are exceedingly satisfied with all joint Croatian-American military operations in Afghanistan, especially with the capability of the Croatians who train and are mentors to the Afghan army in the frame of the OMLT teams, and with the announcement that Croatia will deploy another such team in the spring of next year and increase the Croatian military contingent to 300 members, 100 more than there are in Afghanistan at the moment.

I am really delighted with these "Croatian soldiers" (more proper designation would be mercenaries) defending some "Croatian national interests" in the mountains of Hindukush.

Instead of that, the US "present" of the F-16's to Croatia would not be only politically significant but also profitable for US aircraft manufacturer Lockheed Martin. The Americans will unload older, but still good aircraft, which in storage are not serving their purpose anyways, and Croatia will for the "donated" aircraft have to pay the US for pilot training, spare parts and their likely modernisation.

There we are. It is not "free" after all.

I mean, we must have a strong military in any case, I think it more so since I am opposed to joining NATO and forsaking national sovereignity in exchange for living under the umbrella of some (false?) "security". It is the question, however, of methods, of how and from whom to acquire weapons or even develop our own technology.