Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said the new warplanes would send a strong message about America’s commitment to remaining a global leader in military aviation.

The new fighter jet, he said, “sends a very clear, direct message to our allies that we’re not going anywhere.”

What allies? Russia and Hungary?

But more seriously, the last thing Boeing needs is another project to fuck up. Maybe once they’re able to reliably design and build a commercial airliner, this would make some modicum of sense. Thing is, drones are the future of war (inasmuch as we should even want that), not fighter jets.

If only someone had warned us about the military-industrial complex at some point. This is the most clear-cut example in recent memory, with a sprinkling of presidential narcissism on top.