President Trump’s announcement that the United States will sell F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia is a decisive act of American leadership, made on the eve of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Washington visit. This is not wishful thinking or back-room dealmaking — it is a public commitment to strengthen a vital partner in a volatile region where American interests and allies are on the line.
Riyadh reportedly seeks as many as 48 of Lockheed Martin’s stealth fighters, part of a broader security and commercial engagement between the two countries that has included massive U.S. defense contracts and potential Saudi investments in American industry. Modernizing Saudi defenses helps blunt Iranian aggression and secures shipping lanes and energy supplies that American workers depend on, while supporting thousands of high-paying manufacturing jobs at home.
Predictably, opponents worry aloud about Israel’s so-called qualitative military edge and the specter of sensitive technology leaking to China. Those are legitimate technical concerns that can — and should — be addressed through ironclad safeguards, strengthened export controls, and rigorous congressional oversight rather than reflexive rejection of a strategic partnership.
Left-wing lawmakers and human-rights posturers will howl about past Saudi abuses and demand moral grandstanding instead of geopolitics; the same people who refused to stand tough on enemies now lecture us about standards. National security cannot be run by virtue-signaling — it must be run by realists who secure American interests, press for accountability where warranted, and use leverage like advanced arms sales to win concessions and cooperation.
There is also a bigger diplomatic prize at stake: inducements like F-35s can be powerful leverage to coax Saudi normalization with Israel and to advance a stable peace framework in the region. If the kingdom genuinely wants formal ties and movement on Palestinian issues, negotiators should use every tool in the toolbox to produce concrete results that benefit Israel, the Palestinians, and U.S. strategic objectives.
Congress should demand rigorous conditions, clear safeguards to protect our technology, and real reciprocity for American workers and taxpayers — including offsets, industrial cooperation, and accountability guarantees. Conservatives must defend a foreign policy that puts American strength first, backs reliable partners, and uses American-made deterrence to keep the peace; selling F-35s to a friend who stands with us is exactly the kind of bold, pro-worker, pro-security decision this country needs.
