Make That 20 More F-22s

Make That 20 More F-22s: Rep.

Neil Abercrombie (D-Hawaii) said Thursday morning that he expects “at least” 20 F-22s to be funded in the Fiscal 2010 defense budget. Speaking with defense reporters in Washington, D.C., Abercrombie, who leads the air and land forces panel of the House Armed Services Committee, said it was the sense of Congress last fall that 20 more of the new fighters are needed, if only for “breathing room” to make thoughtful decisions about national strategy and the role of airpower. He said that continued obstruction on the F-22 program by Defense Secretary Robert Gates would not stand, asserting that the Pentagon needs “to learn who’s in charge.” He shrugged off the fact that the June 17 committee budget markup only covered 12 F-22s, saying that if he’d had his way, he would only have put “one dollar” in as a “placeholder” for continued production. He said that there is strong bipartisan consensus that if the committee could have found more money, it would have made the number 20 Raptors. Abercrombie also said he’s confident House and Senate appropriators will support additional F-22s. His own panel only had a “pond” of funds to work with, he said, but the full House has a “lake” and the conference has an “ocean.” The money will be found, he said.

—John A. Tirpak

6/18/2009

On the Record

Mission One
"The health and safety of our pilots—all of our pilots—is our utmost priority. Our operational flight surgeons and our medical staff interact with our pilots on a daily basis."
—Brig. Gen. Daniel Wyman, Air Combat Command command surgeon, speaking to reporters during a teleconference, May 9, 2012. He was emphasizing that the Air Force is doing all it can to ensure the safety of F-22 pilots as service officials continue to home in on the cause of why some Raptor pilots have experienced hypoxia-like symptoms in the cockpit like difficulty concentrating, fatigue, headaches, and nausea.

On the Record

Message to Congress
"If you give us force structure back, give us the money, too. Because the quickest way I know to a hollow force is to give us structure without money. Simple as that. . . . 'Make it work' is not a satisfactory solution."
—Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz articulating his message to lawmakers on the Air Force's Fiscal 2013 budget proposal during a speech at the Stimson Center in Washington, D.C., May 1, 2012. The Air Force leadership has proposed reducing force structure and personnel next fiscal year in order to maintain a ready and capable force as the service absorbs significant spending cuts.