Honestly, not being sure what information allies want shared, I'm inclined to give the Pentagon the benefit of the doubt on this one. It's just that other foreign policy errors have used up the reservoir of good will that would have let this pass with little public reaction.
Allies Feel Left Out in Fighter-Jet Program
Lockheed, Pentagon Urged to Share Data
By Renae Merle
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, January 2, 2004; Page D10
As Lockheed Martin Corp. begins building the first test models of the Joint Strike Fighter, some foreign partners object to security restrictions that the U.S. government has imposed on the project, initially hailed as a prototype for international cooperation.
Some foreign participants in the project who assumed they would get access to certain sensitive technology have found the Pentagon unwilling to share it. Also, some companies complain that it's more difficult than they had expected to get contracts related to the project.
Lockheed Martin and the White House are trying to placate European allies to avoid setbacks to the expected rollout of the new fighter in 2008.
"If we fail to get this right I think you can kiss goodbye to international cooperation programs," said Jeffrey P. Bialos, former defense deputy undersecretary for industrial affairs.
While the State Department isn't likely to ease its reluctance to spread sensitive U.S. technology around the world, Lockheed has begun granting no-bid contracts to companies in some partner countries. The White House also fought to force Congress to water down "Buy America" provisions that would have tightened rules on buying components from overseas.
But the foreign partners aren't entirely mollified and still could walk away from the project, taking their money with them and causing schedule delays, some industry officials fear.
