welcome to Israel we the fighter pilots of the Israeli Air Force
are proud to escort the first Adir aircraft
on their first landing
on Israeli ground
we wish you
best of luck in building the foundation for all Adir squadrons to come contributing
to the strength and glory of the Israeli Air Force, Israeli Defense Forces, and State of Israel
Ladies and Gentlemen on your rights row
the first Adir jets
right after him the 902
welcome
to Nevatim Air Force Base
welcome to
Israel
we are
sure that you've had a long journey and we'd
like to demonstrate our appreciation
Ladies
and Gentlemen give them a hand
Thank you, what a beautiful, beautiful song, thanks so much, I really appreciate
it.
Good evening everyone, and President Rivlin, Prime Minister Netanyahu, Minister Lieberman,
my friend, General Eisenkot, General Eshel, ladies and gentlemen.
It's a pleasure to be back in Israel and to join all of you here at Nevatim for this historic
ceremony.
This evening we're celebrating the remarkable progress of the US Israel defense relationship.
And also of an air force that began by flying left over World War II planes and is now flying
the most advanced aircraft in history.
These F-35 stealth fighters are the first of 50 aircraft that will help build the future
of the Israeli Air Force.
And that's thanks to an historic memorandum of understanding we signed this year in which
the US pledged an unprecedented 38 billion dollars in security assistance over the next
decade.
And as of today, Israel is our first and only friend in the region that's flying F-35.
And it's my honor to be here marking the delivery of these planes, the Adir to America's closest
friend and ally in the region.
During my time as Secretary of Defense I've traveled across this nation.
From the norther border under a threat from Hezbollah to Nevatim here in the south today.
And during these visits I've seen firsthand some of the threats you face daily from many
different directions.
That's one of the many reasons why the United States is committed to providing Israel with
the most advanced military capables critical not only to ensure Israel can defend itself,
but also to maintain it's qualitative military edge.
And of course there's no better symbol of the US commitment to Israel security than
the F-35, the most capable aircraft in the skies.
Now I'm told that in Hebrew, Adir means the mighty one.
Which is an apt name for an aircraft that represents the full force of military might.
From it's stealth technology to it's fighter capabilities, the F-35 will allow pilots to
evade detection and fly at supersonic speeds while conducting air defense, intelligence,
surveillance and reconnaissance and ground attack missions.
It also features advanced sensors and data collection capabilities that allow it to share
data with other aircraft.
These information sharing features in particular make it an ideal aircraft for joint and coalition
operations which will help the United States and Israeli Air Forces operate more jointly
and more effectively than ever before.
Together we will dominate the skies.
As we celebrate Israel's new F-35s this evening, it's worth noting how important Israeli companies
as well as US companies were to the creation of this state of the art aircraft.
From wing production to the helmet mounted display.
To fuselage components, Israel's innovative technologies have helped define this aircraft
and it's capabilities.
That's one example of many that shows how our partnership benefits the security of both
of our nations.
While the F-35 is an important symbol of America's commitment to Israel's qualitative military
edge, it's only the most recent example of how our security cooperation continues to
soar to new heights.
We're maintaining robust military assistance and funding critical missile defense systems
like The Iron Dome, Davis's Sling, Arrow to name a few.
We've also expanded our cooperation into new domains including space and cyberspace in
the last few years to prepare for 21st century threats.
And we'll continue to provide Israel with the most advanced capabilities, including
more F-35 Adirs to further sharpen it's qualitative military edge.
As we gather here today, the US Israel defense relationship is stronger than it's ever been.
And America's pledge to defend Israel's security remains unwavering.
Indeed with the current turmoil in the region, we're more committed to Israel's security
today than ever before.
And from World War II surplus at the dawn of the Israeli state to stealth fighters today,
the United States will continue to stand by it's ally and friend, Israel, as we have from
the very beginning.
As we have from the very beginning and will continue to do long into the future.
Thank you.