By Robert Mitchell

The United States military is the most powerful fighting force the world has ever seen. During my decades of service as a Navy SEAL and later as a CIA Paramilitary Operations Officer, the strength, intelligence, and determination of our service members was always on display. Whether on the front lines or stationed at a base overseas, our men and women in uniform routinely made tremendous sacrifices to protect and defend both our homeland and our allies.

Even institutions as vast and powerful as the U.S. armed forces do not operate in a vacuum. Our military often relies on the resources of private industry for vital support in contingency operations, and the U.S. civil aviation industry is a crucial partner in that respect.  American air carriers voluntarily make available hundreds of additional aircraft in the event that additional airlift capacity is necessary to move our troops around the globe.  This capability is a cornerstone of our military readiness when undertaking both warfighting and peacekeeping missions

However, American air carriers have been undermined for years by illegal and anti-competitive trade practices by the State of Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.  Their systematic efforts to circumvent and defy existing fair trade practices threaten the crucial role that a healthy aviation industry plays in our national security.

Any interference with military readiness puts the lives of American service members at risk, and we must demand that foreign powers are not allowed to do so with impunity.

After years of inaction from the Obama administration, President Trump finally initiated a mission to stand up both for our troops and for American aviation workers by holding Qatar and the UAE accountable for their behavior. After forcing Qatar to come to the table, he successfully negotiated an agreement that will provide greater transparency to Qatar Airways’ business transactions and stop them from establishing any potential “fifth-freedom” routes. This agreement goes a long way to protect American workers and stop foreign interference in our military readiness.  I thank the President for his effort and his success.

President Trump’s leadership on this crucial issue has been in keeping with his commitment to promote fair trade and strengthen national security, but more work remains to be done.  I have a request for the President: complete the mission.

The United Arab Emirates continues to inject massive subsidies into its two international airlines, Emirates and Etihad Airways. In fact, Emirates recently used that subsidy to purchase 16 billion dollars’ worth of Airbus A380s.  They will use these aircraft to continue artificially expanding capacity and distorting aviation markets around the world. By flying these massive planes on routes that do not necessitate the additional capacity and pricing the seats at unprofitably low rates, carriers that play by the rules, like U.S. airlines, will be forced to abandon once-profitable routes. This flagrant abuse of our trade agreements costs American jobs, and if they are allowed to continue these illegal and anti-competitive trade practices, U.S. military preparedness will continue to be threatened.

This is not acceptable. Although both the United Arab Emirates and Qatar are vital allies in the Middle East, allies can have disagreements. When conflicts arise between friends, it is crucial to resolving them quickly and equitably in the interest of stability. Right now, the UAE and Qatar are embroiled in a diplomatic dispute, and the UAE is unlikely to follow Qatar’s lead and negotiate in good faith with the United States of their own accord. Therefore, action must be taken soon to bring them to the table. Thankfully, President Trump has already shown that he is the man for the job.

President Trump, your action against Qatar was an important first step in keeping America safe and our trade fair. But until the UAE comes to the table and takes significant steps to end the harm they have caused to the American aviation industry and its workers, and to U.S. military readiness, the mission is not yet complete.

Robert Mitchell is a cybersecurity entrepreneur, former Navy SEAL and CIA Paramilitary Operations Officer. 

Published on RealClearDefense.Com

By: John G. Cotton, Vice Admiral, U.S. Navy, Retired

With increasing global instability, our nation’s ability to respond and adapt to evolving scenarios is more critical than ever.

The ability to effectively and efficiently meet our regional combatant commander’s requirements to deploy troops and supplies without interruption is a fundamental component of our nation’s national security, military readiness, and ability to project both humanitarian assistance and power.

A unique and significant part of our nation’s air mobility resources, especially when rapidly deploying troops and supplies, is the Department of Defense’s partnership with U.S. commercial airlines through the Civil Reserve Air Fleet program (CRAF).

U.S. civil air carriers contract with the CRAF program to provide select aircraft for the deployment of personnel and resources when emergency airlift requirements exceed the capability of military aircraft.

These carriers volunteer their aircraft to the CRAF program, which today comprises more than 450 aircraft that are ready for deployment less than 48 hours after they are called into service.

Participating U.S. commercial airlines maintain a minimum commitment of 30 percent of their CRAF-capable passenger fleet and 15 percent of their CRAF-capable cargo fleet in support of CRAF-related activity.  These planes are maintained by the airline and flown by airline employees when called into service.

As a naval aviator and commercial airline pilot, I have developed a profound appreciation for the important role that the U.S. civil air transport industry plays in our nation’s military preparedness.

From the Berlin Airlift to Operation Desert Shield and Operation Iraqi Freedom, U.S. commercial airlines have deployed their airplanes and resources on CRAF missions for decades.

The CRAF program represents a remarkable public-private partnership that has helped to advance American values, protect American national security interests, and support American aid and military efforts across the globe.

However, this crucial partnership is threatened by subsidies undermining U.S. aviation transport trade agreements with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and State of Qatar. These subsidies are not only an exploitation of American trade policy that threatens an industry vital to the American economy, but they present a threat to U.S. national security and military readiness as well.

These subsidies are being used to finance rapid global expansion by the state-owned airlines of Qatar and the UAE with the aim of driving competitors, including U.S. airlines, out of international markets and off global long-haul routes.

It is these routes requiring long haul aircraft that allow for the support of our military readiness through the CRAF program. We cannot allow unfair trade practices by foreign governments to weaken our military readiness.

The negative impact of these foreign carrier subsidies and their impact on our national security is compounded with the reality that approximately 1,500 aviation jobs are lost for every route ceded or surrendered due to this subsidized competition.

These lost jobs represent not only the aircrew that fly these aircraft in times of crisis with CRAF, but also the maintenance workers and technicians, plus the ramp supervisors and dispatchers who ensure safe global operations.

President Donald Trump has clearly stated that free and fair reciprocal trade is an administration priority, as is ensuring our national security and military readiness. Our Department of State’s recent announcement that the State of Qatar has agreed to match American levels of financial transparency demonstrates the Trump Administration’s commitment to these priorities.

By enforcing our trade agreements, Trump is working to re-establish America’s economic power and improve our military readiness.

The president and his team brought Qatar to the table and reached a deal that, if adhered to, would put an end to Qatar’s trade cheating and level the playing field for American air carriers and their workers.

This would ensure the American companies can fairly compete in the international marketplace, and therefore protects the integrity of the CRAF program. By enforcing our trade agreements, Trump is working to re-establish America’s economic power and improve our military readiness.

The agreement with Qatar is an important first step in the right direction, but the full implications of this development will be more fully realized once the U.S. takes action in regard to the state-owned and state-subsidized airlines of the UAE, which continues to be less transparent and exhibit the same unfair trade practices.

The UAE has two massive state-subsidized airlines that, like Qatar Airways, undercut U.S. airlines in the international marketplace and threaten our military readiness.  The recent success of negotiations with Qatar will hopefully influence ongoing discussions with UAE to ensure that Trump can keep America safe and to keep our global trade fair.

Vice Adm. John G. Cotton is a 35-year Navy veteran and last served as chief of Navy Reserve and commander of the Navy Reserve Force in the Pentagon. He is currently a defense and security consultant and a senior fellow at the Joint Forces Staff College.

Published on Lifezette.

The US military’s ability to deploy troops, strategic assets, and supplies effectively, efficiently, and without interruption around the globe is critical to our national security. Military readiness and the projection of power abroad are key pillars of our nation’s strength. As a former Navy SEAL and CIA paramilitary operations officer, I know firsthand how important reliable airlift is to our ability to meet global mission requirements. We cannot stand for any weakening of our readiness, especially by foreign nations who circumvent our trade laws.

This week, President Donald Trump again demonstrated his commitment to keeping America safe by upholding the importance of military readiness, and took action to ensure that his promise is kept to the American military and American workers. As he said in his first State of the Union address, “The era of economic surrender is totally over.”

During his recent State of the Union address, President Trump stated: “From now on, we expect trading relationships to be fair and very importantly to be reciprocal.” Trump and his administration took action to keep America safe and to keep our trade fair. Using his skills as a negotiator and a dealmaker, the president and his team brought the nation of Qatar, a strategic military ally in the Gulf, to the negotiating table and secured a deal that protects American aviation jobs now and in the future. Qatar and its state-owned airline have been accused of cheating their aviation trade agreements with the United States by distorting the marketplace with subsidies and seat dumping.

This is not only unfair to American workers who must compete against these subsidies; it also puts U.S. national security at risk. President Trump said “no more,” and ensured that a framework was put in place to prevent further harm to America’s economy. Qatar now must abide by international accounting rules, and will no longer fly indirect routes (known as 5th Freedoms flights) to the United States. This will ensure that their marketplace distortion will end or they will face penalties and is critical not only to safeguarding U.S. jobs, but also for ensuring our military is prepared to meet challenges around the globe.

When I served the Navy, our Special Operations Forces regularly deployed around the world — to dozens of countries — and we often relied on our nation’s commercial aviation industry for transportation. I therefore have a profound appreciation for the role the U.S. civil air transport industry plays in our nation’s military preparedness, supplementing the resources of our Defense Department. When Qatar was cheating our trade agreement, they were undercutting our civil air transport partners upon whom our military relies. That put U.S. workers at a disadvantage and put the U.S. companies and workers the military relies on at unacceptable risk. The actions taken by the Trump Administration this week will help to level the playing field for U.S. workers, and safeguard the readiness of our civil air transport partners when the military needs them.

As President Trump said on Tuesday evening: “America has also finally turned the page on decades of unfair trade deals that sacrificed our prosperity and shipped away our companies, our jobs and our nation’s wealth.” President Trump is a man of strong words, followed up with robust action. His work this week to keep America safe and to keep our trade fair is proof of that.

Robert Mitchell is a cybersecurity entrepreneur, former Navy SEAL and CIA Paramilitary Operations Officer.