We speak with a retired USAF General about the challenges involved in providing Ukraine with F-16s.

Brigadier General John “Dragon” Teichert (Ret) is recently retired from the U.S. Air Force. He was the Assistant Deputy Undersecretary of the Air Force, International Affairs, and was responsible for worldwide international engagement on behalf of the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Space Force. He led the services’ $240 billion security cooperation portfolio.

Prior to that, John was the Senior Defense Official and Defense Attaché to Iraq. He has been an F-15E combat pilot, an F-22 test pilot, the commander of Joint Base Andrews, and the commander of Edwards Air Force Base. John has more than 2,000 hours in 38 different aircraft types.

The President of the United States has agreed to allow F-16 fighter jets to be provided to Ukraine. John explains what the F-16 could mean for Ukraine and how it could be used strategically and tactically. We then consider the complexities involved in making it happen: sourcing the F-16s, training pilots and support crew, facilities requirements, and logistics and maintenance support. Also how this ties the West to Ukraine long term.

John has written and spoken extensively on leadership, innovation, technology, national security, security cooperation, cross-cultural relationships, risk management, resilience, and international affairs. He holds engineering degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Stanford University, and is the founder and president of Capital Leadership LLC.  

Learn more at JohnTeichert.com. His full military biography is also available.

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