The U.S. has made it obvious that Washington is against any country that is going to purchase Russian military equipment in the future, including the S-400 Air Defense which is, in U.S opinion, designed to counter Lockheed Martin Corp’s sophisticated F-35 stealth fighter jet after the Trump administration’s move to expel Turkey from the F-35 stealth fighter program for purchasing and deploying S-400, a Russian air defense system.
The US bold move of expelling one of its closest NATO allies, from the F-35 program, without showing mercy, sends a hidden message to its the Middle East allies that are gearing up to buy Chinese technology, according to the Pentagon statement.
Relevant: US removed Turkey from the F-35 fighter jet program
As the US stock market crashed this week after China warned of countering fresh US tariffs on Beijing’s exports, the Defense Department has continued a series of warnings to American allies for buying Chinese weapons.
“The United States remains committed to improving the capacity of its partners to fight terrorism, deter regional spoilers and promote stability in the Middle East,” said Mick Mulroy, a deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East.
“But, as seen in the department’s decision to cancel Turkey’s F-35 program, we are also prepared to make hard decisions to protect US technology,” he added.
Defense Secretary Mark Esper recently came back after the visit of Asian-Pacific countries amid escalating tensions due to China’s move of increasing the global push for military access and basing.
China can economically crush the US defense ties, by using its regional influence on other countries. The Pentagon is also getting serious and started issuing alerts to its Asian and Middle-Eastern allies, which are increasing friendly relations with Beijing.