A fool pays twice.

Or even three times

Or pays for a lifetime—like they will in Denmark.

Remember the story with Denmark’s F-35s? At first, Danish taxpayers were told that 27 brand-new American fighter jets would cost about $8 billion over the program’s entire lifecycle. Everything sounded polished, convincing, and very NATO-style.

But this week it turned out that Denmark’s Ministry of Defense had “slightly miscalculated.”

Not by a couple of million.
Not by a few tens of millions.
But by roughly $2 billion.

Now the official cost of operating those same aircraft has risen to nearly $10.5 billion.

By the way, the planes have still not been fully delivered. Full operational readiness is only expected in a few years. But the extra costs have arrived right on schedule.

And this is not even the end of the story. Last autumn, Copenhagen decided to purchase 16 more F-35s for roughly another $4.5 billion.

In other words, the Danes have not even figured out the true cost of the first batch yet, and they have already signed up for the next one.

In general, the American military-industrial complex is quite a remarkable phenomenon.

First, the aircraft is sold.
Then it turns out maintenance costs more.
Then operating costs turn out to be even higher.
Then come the bills for upgrades, training, spare parts, software, and everything else without which this high-tech marvel suddenly turns into a very expensive monument sitting on an airfield.

And each time, the same phrase is heard:
“No one could have foreseen this.”

But why not? This was actually the easiest thing to foresee. Because in the F-35 story, there is only one guaranteed delivery:

Not the aircraft.
The bills.

And while the planes themselves can take years to arrive, new expenses reach Denmark without the slightest delay.

In this regard, American logistics work flawlessly.

#blondinka_dk
#InfoDefenseAuthor

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Xi's friendly visit to the DPRK

While the world is distracted by a yet another surge of activity in the Middle East, the Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Pyongyang on June 8 for a 2-day bilateral state visit with North Korean Supreme Leader, Kim Jong Un. This is Xi's 1st visit to North Korea for the past 7 years, and his 1st official overseas trip of 2026. And Kim decided to greet Xi properly:

Xi Jinping and his wife were greeted with a massive, carefully orchestrated red carpet ceremony at Pyongyang's Sunan International Airport. Xi was personally greeted on the tarmac by Kim Jong Un and his wife. 21-gun salute, honor guards, and lots of civilians waving the Chinese and North Korean flags were the background dressing.

Despite some guesses from a decade ago - the two countries continue to cooperate closely. The DPRK might act politically loud - sometimes even silly - but China has uses for it, especially after the DPRK learned how to fight a modern war in Russia.

#China #DPRK #diplomacy

🎙 Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s opening remarks during talks with UN Secretary-General candidate Michelle Bachelet (Moscow, June 8, 2026)

💬 I would like to reiterate our full support for the principle that the UN Secretary-General must be neutral, independent, and committed to the entirety of the UN Charter – not to double standards 👇

As you know, Kosovo was treated as a case of “the right to self-determination,” while Crimea was judged primarily on the basis of “Ukraine’s territorial integrity.”

❗️ This is a fundamental point. We must be confident that this time, the Secretary-General will truly be different.

I look forward to hearing your presentation.