For the past few months I have watched as stable and volatile Middle Eastern nations alike were shaken to the core by protests.

Although many of these protests were peaceful, some were not, and the response of the totalitarian regimes involved has been anything but peaceful.

As a retired vet, I think the Mideast unrest should teach us an important lesson – anything can happen at any time around the world, and our military needs to be ready.

Without the continual development of military equipment and technology, we may be caught off guard and overwhelmed by any number of catastrophic scenarios. I believe that the full and rapid development of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program is essential to our military preparedness.

As a veteran I can tell you that the difference between the best equipment and the next-best does not just bear a financial toll, but a death toll as well. From everything I read, the F-35 will make our pilots more effective in the air, maximize our troops chance of success on the ground, and bring more of our military men and women home safe.

I hope our leaders in Congress take this under consideration and come out in support of full funding of the F-35.