Research Report

A project's sources are the basis of its factual accuracy and especially when it comes to an argumentative project, is key to its success. When developing a list of resources, you must assess its author, reliability, relevancy to the project, and the audience or purpose of the article. What follows, is a list of ten of my primary sources for my own project, with these factors in mind.

1. Aaron Mehta’s article on defensenews.com titled, The Current Status of the F-35, in Three Charts, is an article dedicated to bringing attention to the current state of the F-35 Joint Strike Program, because it incorporates detailed graphics which show the audience lots of information, and also includes a very detailed title, leading audience interested in aerospace to choose this article. Living in the Intercepts category of the website, this group is designated as the current news portion of the website, not filled with opinion pieces, but rather works that try to bring facts and ideas to the audience, one that is interested in the latest news and cares about aerospace. The other fact is, that anyone following the website defensenews is interested in military defense, which is another commonality this article shares with my own project, which makes me think it will be a valuable asset to my guide. The author, Aaron Mahta, an up and coming writers who is specialized in defense and pentagon related activities, as seen on his Linkedin and former employers description page also fits a fairly reliable category or sources, as while this author is not very experienced, he has had published work in popular websites such as CNN or Politico, and also has a history of scholarly work which leads me to believe he is invested and truthful in this field. Seeing as Mahta includes specific aircraft terminology and condensed work with a detailed structure, this type of source will be valuable for the quick reference guide I’m writing.

2. Zachary Cohen’s article titled, The F-35: Is the world’s most expensive weapons program worth it?, questions the value of the F-35 fighter program as it stands in the current day. Meant to convince the audience to see that the program was a waste, it uses background history of the program and controversial quotes to generate support for the fact that the program is way over budget and decidedly a terrible idea in the first place. Based on the website of CNN, a very popular news source, the audience could be anyone surfing the news or interested in the military and aerospace, as can be seen when the article goes into the background of the program, giving detailed descriptions of the plane, its purpose, and the procedure in the military purchasing a new aircraft. It is also presented to more open audience when the article turns more political as it calls out politicians supporting the military-industrial complex to keep this program funded. Cohen himself, a video producer at CNN, a major broadcasting network who is know for being a popular and reliable source of news, seems decently credible as a relatively new media creator seen on his linkedin, but with up to six years of experience in the journalism field, his background seems dedicated to finding and reporting on stories. While this may also bring in lots of opinion to controversial pieces such as this one, his CNN profile also depicts him as gaining lots of experience in the field of military journalism, discussing other planes, wars, and military issues. This type of credibility is also seen in the article as it discusses several different points of contention on the F-35, ranging from political, to technological, to the sheer number of the budget being spent. The article also bringing in many outside sources, such as former airmen who flew the craft, to support his argument, which will valuable in a report such as mine. 
     

3. David Axe’s article titled, Test PilotAdmits the F-35 Can’t Dogfight, is an article intended to shoot down the ideas that the brand new F-35 program is an improvement over the older technology and aircraft we fly today. Writing and quoting a test pilot in a mock fight between an old F-16 and the new F-35, Axe pulls the key information from the write-up paper that he acquired, which in essence shows the aircraft does not have the energy management and turning ability to beat older craft in a close quarters fight. By combining these quotes, along with in depth explanation as to the real effects these types of issues present in a dogfighting scenario, Axe’s article sufficiently argues to the audience on the failures of the F-35. The audience, a generic composition of avid internet followers who are following Medium.com, a social journalism site, it is easy to tell that this opinion piece that also brings facts to the table is designed to sway an interested but less knowledgeable audience who is interested in government reports. Similar to twitter, in showing the top articles that are recommended by other site users, this article is meant to generate interest towards an excitable audience which is exactly what this article provides. While the site doesn’t lend itself to credibility, the author makes up for it with his extensive time freelance writing seen on his linkedin, and his plethora of plane focused writing he has accomplished for medium.com, as seen on his profile there. This type of focused and specialized writing and opinion is the type needed when showing off the negative aspects of the F-35 program. 
     

4. Kwame Holman’s report titled, Pentagon’sF-35 Fighter Under Fire in Congress, is a report dedicated to weighing to pros and cons of the newer fighter program coming from the Pentagon. As the article discusses both the technological advances, such as advanced stealth coating, and weighs them against the logistical issues it may face relying on one manufacturer, the article focuses on discussing the programs value as a whole. Not focusing on the good or the bad too much, the article also includes many different opinions, some from military personnel, others from journalists and staffers, intended to lets the very broad audience that listen to PBS, a public broadcasting station, make up their own opinions after facing both for and against factual arguments. This large audience is also helped by the use of video, which makes the interviews and facts flow much quicker, coming with visual display and audio that let a broad audience get through the thick material quicker. Holman, a veteran correspondent for PBS has a long history of reporting on congressional and military issues, starting a career in his position in the early 1980s, as seen on his PBS page. These two facts, the length of his career and his focus on congressional issues, especially on a news based site such as PBS, leads me to believe that the author is credible and will provide valuable information. The article itself, giving me valuable quotes from a major general in the military, and also examine both positive and negative aspects, which allows me to create better counter-arguments, will be invaluable to the guide I am creating.

5. Clyde Haberman’s report titled, Despite Decades of Stealth, Sticking Points Bedevil F-35 Jet, is intended to emphasis the growing pains of the new F-35 jet. Citing past issues with previous stealth fighters such as the F-117 Nighthawk, and citing Senator McCain’s disapproval of the program for its cost overruns as its previous positive aspects of sharing parts goes down the drain, Haberman addresses all of the issues the F-35 has faced so far and summed them up in one comprehensive article designed to inform and perhaps argue for alternative to the F-35 program. Appearing on the New York Times, the premier paper in the world, the name already gives this article credibility, as anything the times puts out must be checked over by skilled editors. Also, the article itself, sites more than ten sites for the reader to visit, giving it credibility by backing up its claims with data. Haberman, the author, is also a veteran at the Times, has historied career of covering both foreign affairs, and domestic issues which fit his style of article, where he targets “hypocrisy and unfairness.” This type history is what gives a writer credibility and ethos. Following a long running analogy of David and Goliath, this article also includes various outside resources to complement the comprehensive article which will allow me to find even more factual data for my guide.

6. David Cenciotti’s article titled, ‘Vega 31’: The First and Only F-117 Stealth Fighter Jet Shot Down In Combat (15 Years Ago Today), is an article meant to inform the reader about the shooting down of an F-117 stealth fighter. You can tell this because of the articles focus on one specific event, a plane downing, and also because it focuses on the importance of why this stealth plane downing is so different from other plane crashes, going into detailed how it was destroyed. This article, on a site named the Aviationist, and based around a stealth fighter, is meant for an audience which is interested in the aerospace field. David Cenciotti, is a journalist focused on the aerospace field, focusing on military aircraft, and also has created one of the biggest aviation magazines on the internet, and is therefore a reliable author. This article will help my project by highlighting the fact that previous stealth aircraft have been shot down, and will also show that outside factors can destroy the higher technology built into a plane, such as Serbian coordination into air defense.

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      7. This report, titled Program Acquisition Cost by Weapon System, put out by the Pentagon’s Office of the Under Secretary of Defense is inherently reliable as it comes directly from the source of the military’s headquarters, and is also an important document meant to accurately report military funding requests. The audience is obvious, meant for a request to Congress and the full Secretary of Defense to look over, seen in the budgetary quotes, and the categories fits to a format dedicated as a presentation of a budget. The source is trying to sell the budget to the audience, specifying each and every part of the budgets work, and going into detail how each program is valuable, such as saying how the Joint Strike Fighter program is a next generation fighter, showing how it is the future of the Air Force.  This source will help my project by giving a reliable report of the programs expenditure and also by showing how little other programs are getting in comparison to the strike fighter program.

      

     8. This book titled, Striving for Air Superiority, written by Craig C. Hannah, is dedicated to teaching about the lack of proper training and various tactics used by fighter aircraft post-WW2. Talking about various techniques, such as the straffing technique, and including technical terms, such as chaff, this book is meant to be read by people interested in military combat, aviation, or former service members. Published by Texas A&M University, and including various sources from pilots who flew the aircraft and outside books and reports on air combat, the book is reliable in reporting military history and warfare. While little is known to the public about Craig C. Hannah, being publish my a university and having various sources makes up for this apparent lack of credibility. Establishing opinon based analysis of the situations airmen faced in Vietnam and Korea, the author uses both quotes from pilots and logic based discourses on situations using tables of data to support his opinion, in order to show that there were mistakes made by the instructors and leader of the Air Force during that time period, and that various technological advances were used improperly and led to further plane losses. This type of opinion supports my project by showing that new technology doesn’t always make a plane better. Using the specific point of the F4 and its lack of a gun in its initial versions, this led to its loses to Vietnamese Aircraft on a few occasions. This, along with his opinion on improper training also help with my suggestion that the F-35 won’t be the game changing plane people make it out to be.

       

     9. David Axe’s article titled, China, Russia Could Make U.S. Stealth Tech Obsolete, focuses on the struggle that brand new U.S. stealth technology may face when put up against newer countermeasure designed to destroy the stealth advantage. Axe, already established as a credible writer in my third source, is writing an opinion piece on how technology advancements made by other countries might make U.S. stealth technology less viable, using both quotes such as from Barry Watts, an analyst for the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments in Washington, and also pointing to specific enemies, such as China and Russia, who have developed better radar which could make planes like the F-35 obsolete. On a magazine, Wired, which is dedicated to advancements in technology, this article is dedicated to audiences interested in current events, technology, the type of audience who would be drawn in by a picture of advanced bomber at the top of the page or pulled in by keywords like “obsolete.” This article will help my project by showing how the future could hold advances that make huge projects like the F-35 worthless, and also acts as a follow up on the writer David Axe, who posted one of the original skepticisms of the F-35.

 

10. Without author, this Economist article titled, The last manned fighter, is an article that is designed to bring up good questions about the F-35 program, and introduce facts to the audience that might make them consider similar questions about the Joint Strike Fighter Program. Filled with detailed graphs and specific detailed about both the budget and specification of the program, this article, placed on the Economist, a magazine that brings about an audience interested in the economy, current events, large programs, and large business, is meant to show how the program itself has many aspects about it that could lead to failure. Printed on the Business section of the economists, this article is already designed to draw in a different audience that will judge this program from a business perspective, seeing it as a failing project for Lockheed Martin that will only cost the government money. Even without the author, this article published on a well-known economic paper, has so many references to the specific details of the programs, such as build numbers, costs, potential future costs, that it uses logic to enhance the reliability of its argument. Coming from a different perspective of the business sector, and introducing new graphs and tables of data, this article will be valuable to my project in bring a different audience’s opinion and provided information for my reference guide.