The US ambassador to Portugal has urged Lisbon to replace its ageing F-16 jets with Lockheed Martin F-35 fighters to modernise its air force and strengthen NATO interoperability.
The US ambassador to Portugal has urged Lisbon to replace its ageing F-16 fighter jets with the Lockheed Martin F-35, saying the aircraft would strengthen interoperability with Europe’s leading air forces.
Ambassador John Arrigo told CNN Portugal the stealth jet would modernise Portugal’s military capabilities and align them with NATO standards. He said he aims to support efforts to raise Portugal’s defence spending to NATO’s target of 5 percent of gross domestic product by 2035, from about 2 percent at present.
Portugal’s Defence Minister Nuno Melo has said the process to select replacement fighter jets has not yet begun. Arrigo noted that more than 900 F-35 aircraft are already in service or on order across Europe and highlighted the aircraft’s interoperability advantages, adding that about a quarter of the jet is built using European components.
US stance on China ties
On relations with China, Arrigo said Washington is not asking Lisbon to choose between the two countries but is promoting “de-risking”, including stronger cybersecurity safeguards and investment screening mechanisms.
legacy of bailout and Chinese investments
Chinese investment in Portugal expanded after the country’s 2011–2014 bailout during the eurozone debt crisis. Portugal secured a €78 billion rescue package in 2011 from the European Union, International Monetary Fund and European Central Bank after losing market access amid rising borrowing costs.
Major Chinese-linked stakes remain across key Portuguese firms, including China Three Gorges’s holding in utility EDP, China State Grid’s stake in grid operator REN, and investments by Fosun in bank Millennium BCP and insurer Fidelidade.
Partnership and strategic alignment
Arrigo said the US considers itself Portugal’s closest partner but aims to keep potential adversaries at a distance. He added bilateral ties would strengthen if Lisbon withdrew from the Belt and Road Initiative, which Portugal joined in 2018.
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