The US has formally initiated the process to expel Turkey from the F-35 jet consortium in response to Ankara’s acquisition of the S-400 Russian missile defence system, despite repeated warnings from Washington and Nato.
“Unfortunately, Turkey’s decision to purchase Russian S-400 air defence systems renders its continued involvement with the F-35 impossible,” White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said on Wednesday.
“The F-35 cannot coexist with a Russian intelligence-collection platform that will be used to learn about its advanced capabilities.”
Turkey had been a member in the F-35 consortium since 2002, alongside the UK, Italy, the Netherlands, Canada, Australia, Norway and Denmark.
The expulsion means it will lose training, imports and access to more than 100 F-35 fighters from Lockheed Martin.
Turkey on Thursday branded the move "unfair" and the Turkish foreign ministry said that "this one-sided step neither complies with the spirit of alliance nor is it based on legitimate reasons."
The head of Turkey's Defence Industry Directorate that they were not concerned by the temporary losses that local companies may face in the short term due to the move.
"Our companies may face losses initially, and even though issues like sanctions and more may lead to temporary losses for the defence industry, we think it will result in our defence industry becoming stronger," Ismail Demir said.
The move also means 18 months of negotiations between the US and Turkey failed to dissuade Ankara from obtaining the multibillion-dollar Russian system.
Last week, Ankara received the first shipment of S-400 parts and has since accepted 13 shipments.
"The administration has made multiple offers to move Turkey to the front of the line to receive the US Patriot air defence system,” the White House said.
It said that by acquiring the S-400, Turkey “undermines the commitments all Nato allies made to each other to move away from Russian systems".
But the White House maintained that the US-Turkey military relationship was strong.
"And we will continue to co-operate with Turkey extensively, mindful of constraints due to the presence of the S-400 system.”
The US undersecretary of defence for acquisition and sustainment, Ellen Lord, confirmed the termination, and said that the US and its F-35 partners agreed on the decision.
“Regrettably, Turkey will lose jobs and future economic opportunities from this decision," Ms Lord said.
They include $9 billion (Dh33.06bn) in F-35 work share, and could add further strain on the Turkish economy.
But shifting the supply chain away from Turkey would cost between $500 million and $600m, Ms Lord said.
Other countries, mainly in Europe, are looking to replace Turkey in the consortium.
Aaron Stein, director of the Middle East programme at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, said that the US move to terminate Turkey’s membership was not surprising.
“It is only step one," Mr Stein said.
He said other moves could follow under the US sanctions law, which was passed in 2017 with an overwhelming bipartisan majority, and was designed to penalise countries for significant deals with Russia.
Mr Stein said the act was written to be "Trump-proof", in case the US President decided to veto Congress on imposing, sanctions on Ankara.
"It is hard to imagine how Turkey can escape more sanctions," he said. "it is just a question of how and when, not if."
European countries are also considering sanctions on Turkey.
The Two Popes
Director: Fernando Meirelles
Stars: Anthony Hopkins, Jonathan Pryce
Four out of five stars
Silent Hill f
Publisher: Konami
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Rating: 4.5/5
No more lice
Defining head lice
Pediculus humanus capitis are tiny wingless insects that feed on blood from the human scalp. The adult head louse is up to 3mm long, has six legs, and is tan to greyish-white in colour. The female lives up to four weeks and, once mature, can lay up to 10 eggs per day. These tiny nits firmly attach to the base of the hair shaft, get incubated by body heat and hatch in eight days or so.
Identifying lice
Lice can be identified by itching or a tickling sensation of something moving within the hair. One can confirm that a person has lice by looking closely through the hair and scalp for nits, nymphs or lice. Head lice are most frequently located behind the ears and near the neckline.
Treating lice at home
Head lice must be treated as soon as they are spotted. Start by checking everyone in the family for them, then follow these steps. Remove and wash all clothing and bedding with hot water. Apply medicine according to the label instructions. If some live lice are still found eight to 12 hours after treatment, but are moving more slowly than before, do not re-treat. Comb dead and remaining live lice out of the hair using a fine-toothed comb.
After the initial treatment, check for, comb and remove nits and lice from hair every two to three days. Soak combs and brushes in hot water for 10 minutes.Vacuum the floor and furniture, particularly where the infested person sat or lay.
Courtesy Dr Vishal Rajmal Mehta, specialist paediatrics, RAK Hospital
Gulf Under 19s final
Dubai College A 50-12 Dubai College B
The Sheikh Zayed Future Energy Prize
This year’s winners of the US$4 million Sheikh Zayed Future Energy Prize will be recognised and rewarded in Abu Dhabi on January 15 as part of Abu Dhabi Sustainable Week, which runs in the capital from January 13 to 20.
From solutions to life-changing technologies, the aim is to discover innovative breakthroughs to create a new and sustainable energy future.
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Gender pay parity on track in the UAE
The UAE has a good record on gender pay parity, according to Mercer's Total Remuneration Study.
"In some of the lower levels of jobs women tend to be paid more than men, primarily because men are employed in blue collar jobs and women tend to be employed in white collar jobs which pay better," said Ted Raffoul, career products leader, Mena at Mercer. "I am yet to see a company in the UAE – particularly when you are looking at a blue chip multinationals or some of the bigger local companies – that actively discriminates when it comes to gender on pay."
Mr Raffoul said most gender issues are actually due to the cultural class, as the population is dominated by Asian and Arab cultures where men are generally expected to work and earn whereas women are meant to start a family.
"For that reason, we see a different gender gap. There are less women in senior roles because women tend to focus less on this but that’s not due to any companies having a policy penalising women for any reasons – it’s a cultural thing," he said.
As a result, Mr Raffoul said many companies in the UAE are coming up with benefit package programmes to help working mothers and the career development of women in general.
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The Vile
Starring: Bdoor Mohammad, Jasem Alkharraz, Iman Tarik, Sarah Taibah
Director: Majid Al Ansari
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Samaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
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