Lockheed Martin

What role does Beaufort play in the global arms race? Yeah we're not sure either.

But a press release sent out by the Beaufort Regional Chamber of Commerce would lead you to believe that Beaufort plays a critical role in fending off Chinese aggression.

Construction of a $33 million F-35 pilot training center and $37 million Joint Strike Fighter training hangar, along with improved flight trials of the Marine Corps’ F-35B model, are timely as China expands its military, local leaders said.

The release goes on to state:

China’s J-20 stealth jet underscores "China's ambition to produce a fighter aircraft that incorporates stealth attributes, advanced avionics, and supercruise-capable engines over the next several years" – similar features as on the F-35, the Pentagon report notes.

So we completely get that the F-35 is the next generation of aircraft and about as high-tech as it gets, in theory ensuring our military dominance for years to come. And we get MCAS Beaufort's role in training and deploying these jets and pilots. But this release, well we just don't get it.

Read the full press release below

Beaufort’s F-35 Joint Strike Fighters to play vital role in national defense, local economy

Construction of a $33 million F-35 pilot training center and $37 million Joint Strike Fighter training hangar, along with improved flight trials of the Marine Corps’ F-35B model, are timely as China expands its military, local leaders said.

Marine Corps Air Station-Beaufort is slated to receive 88 F-35B Joint Strike Fighters, including three combat squadrons and two training squadrons. The first jets could arrive in 2014. Groundbreaking ceremonies earlier this month kicked off construction projects related to the new stealth jets’ arrival.

“This is a strategic day for this base and for our nation. I’m really proud of Beaufort …. The people of Beaufort deserve to be very proud. You earned this, you won this. Your attitude has been phenomenal,” Maj. Gen. Jon Davis, Commanding General of the 2nd Marine Air Wing, said at the groundbreaking.

“The reason we are buying this airplane is to ensure that young riflemen have the protection to do the job. This airplane is going to save lives and protect our nation,” he said. Like all Marine Corps aircraft, the F-35B is designed to provide close air support to troops on the ground.

His comments came amid reports that China continues its push into weapons technologies where the United States traditionally has led, including stealth fighters such as the F-35 and large aircraft carriers.

"The pace and scope of China's sustained military investment have allowed China to pursue capabilities that we believe are potentially destabilizing to regional military balances, increase the risk of misunderstanding and miscalculation, and may contribute to regional tensions and anxieties," Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for East Asia Michael Schiffer said recently.

“It is critical to our nation’s security that the F-35 program continues on schedule, and that includes the construction work here at MCAS-Beaufort,” said Lt. Gen. Garry Parks, USMC (Ret.), chairman of the Beaufort County Military Enhancement Committee.

“While we certainly need the injection of construction jobs associated with the $350-plus million to prepare for the Joint Strike Fighters, what we’re really looking at is our nation’s ability to defend itself and its interests globally, now and into the future,” Parks said.

Beaufort is scheduled to receive the first squadrons of East Coast F-35B jets, specially configured for the Marine Corps with the ability to take off on a short runway and land vertically – allowing them to operate closer to Marines fighting on the ground.

The Joint Strike Fighter eventually will replace the F/A-18 Hornets currently flown by the Marine Corps and Navy. The newer planes incorporate stealth technology and advanced radars and weapons systems.

“The F-35B is progressing with its flight trials and this is going to be a phenomenal aircraft when it arrives in Beaufort,” said Col. John Payne, a member of the Beaufort County Military Enhancement Committee. He’s also helped keep Beaufort’s three military installations open during past Base Realignment and Closure Committee reviews.

“We love that we are getting the Joint Strike Fighter, but it’s important that we also talk to our Congressional leaders about how this aircraft is going to help protect America,” Payne said.

In its report, the Pentagon took special note of Beijing's aspiration to project naval and air power beyond its territorial waters. In the past year, China has alarmed the U.S. and its neighbors with a more combative stance on territorial disputes in the East and South China seas. This summer, China sent its first aircraft carrier out for sea
trials.

The carrier, based on a hull bought from Ukraine, doesn't have aircraft. The Pentagon report said the carrier will likely serve initially as a training platform. But as early as this year, the report said, China may begin construction of a completely new carrier
which could be combat ready in five years.

China’s J-20 stealth jet underscores "China's ambition to produce a fighter aircraft that incorporates stealth attributes, advanced avionics, and supercruise-capable engines over the next several years" – similar features as on the F-35, the Pentagon report notes.

Rep. Howard McKeon (R., Calif.), the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said lawmakers would review the document closely. In a statement, McKeon said China's "increasing assertiveness" might spur a regional arms contest. "This has significant consequences for the security and stability of the region," he said.

In Beaufort, Hensel-Phelps Construction Company of Orlando received contracts to build both the 101,794-square-foot Pilot Training and Simulator Center as well as the 61,000 square-foot Joint Strike Fighter aircraft training hanger. Both facilities will conform to new standards for anti-terrorism and force protection, and both are
designed to be as “green” as possible. The hangar project will include solar panels to provide partial electric power.

The Pilot Training Center will support the training of about 78 pilots annually, possibly including some from foreign allies who buy the Joint Strike Fighter.

“With the Joint Strike Fighter coming to Beaufort, with Boeing building the Dreamliner in Charleston and with Gulfstream in Savannah expanding by 1,000 jobs, we are excited at the opportunities for aerospace and technology in Beaufort County,” said Blakely Williams, president of the Beaufort Regional Chamber of Commerce.

MCAS-Beaufort contributes $615 million annually to the Beaufort County economy, much of that in the northern part of the county. Together with Parris Island Marine Corps Recruit Depot and the Beaufort Naval Hospital, the military injects more than $1 billion annually to the local economy, according to university studies.