Emerald Coast Times

Washington, D.C. — During today’s House Armed Services Committee (HASC) hearing, U.S. Congressman Matt Gaetz (FL-01) engaged in a heated exchange with Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on various issues, including the deployment of U.S. service members to Gaza and the reliability of Lockheed Martin's F-35 aircraft.

Secretary Austin affirmed that deployed service members carry guns to protect themselves, stating, "Typically, all of the deployed service member carry servicemembers carry guns and they have the ability to protect themselves if challenged." In response, Congressman Gaetz questioned the Secretary on the likelihood of U.S. service members being shot at in Gaza, to which Secretary Austin acknowledged, "That's possible? Yes."

The discussion turned to the scenario of U.S. service members potentially engaging in live fire exchanges with individuals from Gaza, with Congressman Gaetz emphasizing the gravity of such a situation and expressing concerns about the deployment. Secretary Austin maintained that U.S. forces have the right to defend themselves in such circumstances.

Transitioning to the topic of the F-35 aircraft program, Congressman Gaetz criticized its reliability and high costs. He pointed out that only 29% of the F-35 fleet was fully mission capable, questioning Secretary Austin on the effectiveness of the program. The Congressman highlighted a GAO report that raised concerns about rising costs and decreasing availability of the F-35 aircraft due to reliability issues.

In response to Congressman Gaetz's criticism, Secretary Austin defended the F-35 program, stating, "I would not categorize the F-35 as a paperweight" and highlighting efforts to improve its operational capabilities. However, Congressman Gaetz remained skeptical, asserting that more than 29% of the expensive aircraft should be fully operational.

The exchange culminated with Congressman Gaetz urging Secretary Austin to acknowledge the challenges faced by the F-35 program and consider a different approach in the future, to which Secretary Austin agreed, stating, "I agree in the future, we should take it who should have a different approach."

The contentious dialogue between U.S. Congressman Matt Gaetz and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin highlighted the ongoing debates surrounding U.S. military deployments and defense procurement programs.