Tweet
Sometime during his first couple of months in office, President-elect Barack Obama will have to confront one of his first big decisions about U.S. defense policy and budgets. Obama will have to determine whether to continue spending roughly $4 billion a year to buy F-22 fighter jets.
He may decide, as the Bush administration has, that the F-22 is superfluous and that the money is needed for other priorities. However the Air Force, according to defense analysts and consultants, wants to buy at least 60 more of the $180 million jets.
The F-22, launched in the early 1980s to counter Soviet air forces in Europe, has been targeted by the Pentagon civilian management team as an airplane that is likely to be of little use in the kinds of irregular wars the U.S. is fighting or is likely to face.
The Air Force and its backers say the F-22 could be necessary to deal with regional threats posed by countries buying advanced Russian and Chinese fighter jets. Lockheed Chief Executive Robert Stevens told the same conference that the F-22's stealth capabilities make it an excellent deterrent.
And F-22 supporters are trotting out the jobs argument, saying the Obama administration surely will not want to put thousands more aerospace industry employees out of work in the midst of a deep recession.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates has been in open conflict with the Air Force over the F-22 and fired the former Air Force secretary and chief of staff for, among other things, their open advocacy of the program in defiance of administration policy.
Obama is retaining Gates, but F-22 supporters believe that they have a better chance of preserving the program once Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England leaves.
England, the former head of General Dynamics and Lockheed's Fort Worth plant, has said repeatedly that the Air Force does not need more F-22s and has worked to accelerate purchases of the F-35 joint strike fighter.
In a recent interview with the Star-Telegram, England said the Pentagon's limited funds for aircraft need to be spent on speeding F-35 development and production.
Why buy more F-22's when most likely the one's already purchased will never see action?
What do you think will happen:
Will he restart the production lines?
Or
Will he not commit to any more F-22's?
What do you think would be appropritate for US National Security, could the money be spent better elseware, like supporting troops in iraq and afganistan?
Please cast your intelligent oppinion:)
Richard
He may decide, as the Bush administration has, that the F-22 is superfluous and that the money is needed for other priorities. However the Air Force, according to defense analysts and consultants, wants to buy at least 60 more of the $180 million jets.
The F-22, launched in the early 1980s to counter Soviet air forces in Europe, has been targeted by the Pentagon civilian management team as an airplane that is likely to be of little use in the kinds of irregular wars the U.S. is fighting or is likely to face.
The Air Force and its backers say the F-22 could be necessary to deal with regional threats posed by countries buying advanced Russian and Chinese fighter jets. Lockheed Chief Executive Robert Stevens told the same conference that the F-22's stealth capabilities make it an excellent deterrent.
And F-22 supporters are trotting out the jobs argument, saying the Obama administration surely will not want to put thousands more aerospace industry employees out of work in the midst of a deep recession.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates has been in open conflict with the Air Force over the F-22 and fired the former Air Force secretary and chief of staff for, among other things, their open advocacy of the program in defiance of administration policy.
Obama is retaining Gates, but F-22 supporters believe that they have a better chance of preserving the program once Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England leaves.
England, the former head of General Dynamics and Lockheed's Fort Worth plant, has said repeatedly that the Air Force does not need more F-22s and has worked to accelerate purchases of the F-35 joint strike fighter.
In a recent interview with the Star-Telegram, England said the Pentagon's limited funds for aircraft need to be spent on speeding F-35 development and production.
Why buy more F-22's when most likely the one's already purchased will never see action?
What do you think will happen:
Will he restart the production lines?
Or
Will he not commit to any more F-22's?
What do you think would be appropritate for US National Security, could the money be spent better elseware, like supporting troops in iraq and afganistan?
Please cast your intelligent oppinion:)
Richard
Comment