Cultural Analysis of "How DOD’s $1.5 Trillion F-35 Broke the Air Force"

I have decided to analyze "How DOD’s $1.5 Trillion F-35 Broke the Air Force" by David Francis.

Gleason, David "The Pentagon" 01/12/2008 via Flickr CC BY-SA 2.0

Some of the key terms used in the article that are staples of modern society are "the Pentagon", "the DOD", "the Air Force", and "strategy". The main argument in the article is that the United States Air Force has rejected the F-35 and the strategy behind it in favor of smaller, better, and more cost effective programs and strategies.





Repetitive use of the government entities mentioned above is meant to impress an opinion of them upon the audience. The Pentagon, and DOD are repeatedly painted as incompetent money wasters. Conversely the Air Force is presented as a victim who is reacting appropriately to the failures of the Pentagon and the DOD by proposing a strategy change.

Any United States citizen is invested in the military and economic security of the nation. The negative portrayal of the Pentagon and DOD is intended to cause concern about both of these topics. The discussion about mismanagement of taxpayer dollars complements this by arousing anger on a more personal level from the audience. Most Americans think of military branches like the Air Force as heroic, so the author avoids associating them with the Pentagon and DOD. Instead, he praises the alternative strategy they have proposed.