This is a guest opinion column

The Poarch Band of Creek Indians cares about the safety and security of our country, and so we commend the Alabama Congressional Delegation for being a reliable champion for our men and women in uniform. We proudly support our military through our Government Services Division in collaboration with Muskogee Technology, PCI Aviation, Integrated Federal Solutions, and Media Fusion. Now more than ever, our Congressional leaders must step up and revitalize our Air Force’s waning technological edge, particularly the future of the F-35 Lightning II. With strong ties in Alabama, more than $30 million in annual economic impact, and more than twenty supplier companies in our state, any cuts to the F-35 would dramatically affect hundreds of jobs in our communities.

The Department of Defense (DOD) has drastically reduced the capacity of the United States Air Force over the past few years. According to the Mitchell Policy Papers, the service needs more capacity and modernized capabilities to deter and, if necessary, defeat peer aggression. The Mitchell Policy Papers further state, “The Air Force of 2022 is a high-risk force that is not sized to fight a major conflict with China and meet its other global operational requirements established by the National Defense Strategy. And this is not just about the Air Force—the missions its forces execute like air superiority, long range strikes, and air mobility underpin the success and viability of all joint force operations.”

The F-35 is feared among our enemies as much as our allies praise it. Our Air Force and our allies need its fifth-generation technology, stealth, lethality, and interoperability. Producing fewer F-35s sends a strong message: the United States is unwilling to rebuke China and Russia’s rising tyranny. It tells our manufacturing community that Congress will talk about supporting domestic manufacturing but stops short of doing so when Congressional support is needed most.

I urge our Congressional delegation to do what they have always done: support our men and women in uniform. Our Congressional delegation must fight to fully fund the F-35 program to ramp up to peak production levels. Our Air Force needs their help, our manufacturing community needs their support, and our allies need reassurance that the United States is not backing down from our commitments.

We have known gaps in our ability to deter international tension and defeat our enemies. Now is the worst possible time to talk about reducing our capacity and limiting our capabilities. It is critical that Congress fully fund the F-35 program because our military needs the support that only air superiority can bring should we ever be in a major conflict with China or Russia.

Stephanie Bryan is Chairwoman of the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, the only federally recognized tribe in Alabama.