From the earliest transatlantic jet flights to space travel, Maine has played an important part in American aviation. Today, Maine continues to play an essential role, helping to produce the engine for the F-35 Lightning II, the most advanced fifth-generation fighter jet in the world.

Having spent 36 years in the Navy, I have a keen appreciation for the effectiveness and relevance of air power. This lifetime of direct participation is why I take exception to Elliot Epstein’s column that ran Aug. 25, questioning the need for the F-35 program and the benefit this aircraft will provide to our national security and that of our allies.

I graduated from the Naval War College 38 years ago, just three years after the first F-15 flight. Just think where technology was more than 40 years ago — before the era of personal computers, the Internet and smart phones and the microprocessor. I bet none of us are driving the same car we drove in 1975. In fact, many weren’t even born in 1975. Yet, the F-15 — along with other legacy aircraft such as the F-16, A-10, AV-8 and F-18, which I flew — still represent the largest portion of the U.S. military fleet today.

Bottom line, our servicemen and women are continuing to fly planes in and out of harm’s way that were created a lifetime ago.

The world continues to undergo great change that results in vexing national security challenges. While we may not all be in agreement about the approach to solving those challenges, one fact is abundantly clear: other countries continue to invest in developing combat aircraft with cutting-edge technology. America’s ability to retain its air superiority is essential to national security, as well as that of allied nations worldwide. Continued investment in the F-35 ensures this security.

Throughout my 36-year career, which included 5,000 flight hours and 1,100 carrier landings, I knew I was flying the best aircraft America could produce. We must do no less for the next generation of fighter pilots. We owe those pilots something better than 40-year old legacy aircraft.

The F-35 provides the U.S. Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps with one family of interoperable stealth fighters. They can take off and land in a variety of diverse settings, including operating from aircraft carriers. At a time when our overseas base infrastructure is rapidly declining, we are supporting ground troops, defending American interests where threatened on land or sea, and discreetly conducting reconnaissance missions to gather critical data to inform our strategic approach.

The F-35 is required to be four times more effective than older fighter jets in air-to-air combat, eight times more effective in air-to-ground combat, and three times more effective in reconnaissance and suppression of air defenses — while having better range and requiring less logistics support.

In addition to being a project that benefits three separate service branches of the military, the F-35 is the Department of Defense’s largest cooperative program with America’s allies. Eight partner countries are participating — the United Kingdom, Italy, the Netherlands, Turkey, Canada, Australia, Denmark and Norway. These allied nations have agreed to purchase more than 650 F-35 aircraft, with the UK alone expected to buy 138 aircraft for its Air Force and Navy.

While also helping to make the world a safer place, these international partnerships help to make the plane more affordable for the U.S. The international purchases, coupled with disciplined management of the procurement program, continue to bring the cost per plane down as the last lots of low-rate production are completed and full-rate production begins over the next few years.

In a recent Pentagon report, the F-35 support costs over 55 years alone have decreased 22 percent, demonstrating the project is on time and on task. By 2015, the Marine Corps variant will be ready for active duty and, by 2016 and 2019 respectively, the Air Force and Navy will see their variants in active duty.

Maine should take great pride in the critical role it plays in building the F-35 Lightning II. By doing so, Maine continues to make aviation history.

Admiral Greg Johnson is a native of Maine and served in the U.S. Navy for 36 years. Since retiring in 2004, he founded Snow Ridge Associates, which provides strategic advice and counsel. He currently resides in Harpswell.