Miloch
November 16th 18, 04:27 AM
more at
http://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/24936/whats-to-come-of-the-a-10-now-that-it-has-lost-some-of-its-loudest-defenders-in-congress
Republican Representative Martha McSally’s Arizona Senate race loss to
Democratic challenger Kyrsten Sinema, together with the death of the state’s
beloved Senator John McCain, means the A-10 Warthog has lost its most vocal
defenders in Congress this year. This has prompted many to question whether this
will prompt the U.S. Air Force to redouble its efforts to retire the venerable
ground attack aircraft for good. The impact may actually be less pronounced than
the planes defenders might fear, but it also might still not be enough to save
the ‘Hogs from going to the Bone Yard.
McSally, herself a retired Air Force colonel, former A-10 pilot, and member of
the House Armed Services Committee, had been the Warthog’s primary advocate in
the halls of Congress after McCain passed away from cancer in August 2018. She
had declined to seek re-election as a Representative for Arizona in 2018 in
favor of running to take the Senate seat left open by Senator Jeff Flake’s
decision to retire from public office. New Hampshire Senator Kelly Ayotte,
another Republican and supporter of retaining the A-10, had lost her re-election
bid in 2016. There is, of course, a distinct possibility that Arizona Governor
Doug Ducey will now appoint McSally to take McCain's seat, propelling her into
the Senate, anyway.
-----
The Democratic Party’s victories in the House in the 2018 mid-term election,
which has put them in the majority and given them control of the committees,
including the House Armed Services Committee, have raised concerns about whether
Republican advocacy may be enough. Many Democrats, including Adam Smith, a
Representative for Washington State and incoming Chairman of the Armed Services
Committee, have announced their desire to trim the defense budget in the future.
President Donald Trump’s own administration had already said cuts were coming in
the face of surging federal deficits.
But preserving the A-10, a relatively low-cost platform that has repeatedly
proven its worth in combat, might not necessarily be a hard sell to cost-focused
Democrats. There’s a good chance that Democratic members of Congress will also
be quick to question the wisdom of retiring any Warthogs when the Air Force is
complaining that it needs more planes and is pushing to increase its overall
force size from 312 to 386 operational squadrons.
The bigger problem on the horizon for Congress is that they've been in an
increasingly impossible position with regards to the A-10 for months now.
Legislators made sure to include sufficient funding for the wing upgrade kits
for its oldest Warthogs and the Air Force is publicly supportive of that
project. But, in reality, the service seems to be slow-rolling the process and
doesn't expect to begin taking delivery of bulk of those replacement spans for
another four years.
----
Of course, none of this is to say that the battle between Congress and the Air
Force is over. Far from it, especially if McSallys still becomes a Senator in
the end. At the same time, though, it appears to be an increasingly losing
proposition for legislators.
There may come a time, and soon, when it would become more useful to spend this
time and energy in ensuring the Air Force actually moves ahead with its light
attack aircraft program, which also seems to be in danger of dying on the vine,
and otherwise pushing the service to develop new ground attack capabilities and
preserve the knowledge base the A-10 community has cultivated over the decades.
Perhaps with McSally’s loss and McCain’s passing, now the remaining defenders of
the vital ground attack capability and capacity the Warthogs provide will go on
the offensive again. But considering that the USAF has made just keeping the
aircraft in the inventory a constant and outright nagging battle, it's possible
that they will decide to focus their political capital elsewhere.
more at
http://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/24936/whats-to-come-of-the-a-10-now-that-it-has-lost-some-of-its-loudest-defenders-in-congress
*
http://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/24936/whats-to-come-of-the-a-10-now-that-it-has-lost-some-of-its-loudest-defenders-in-congress
Republican Representative Martha McSally’s Arizona Senate race loss to
Democratic challenger Kyrsten Sinema, together with the death of the state’s
beloved Senator John McCain, means the A-10 Warthog has lost its most vocal
defenders in Congress this year. This has prompted many to question whether this
will prompt the U.S. Air Force to redouble its efforts to retire the venerable
ground attack aircraft for good. The impact may actually be less pronounced than
the planes defenders might fear, but it also might still not be enough to save
the ‘Hogs from going to the Bone Yard.
McSally, herself a retired Air Force colonel, former A-10 pilot, and member of
the House Armed Services Committee, had been the Warthog’s primary advocate in
the halls of Congress after McCain passed away from cancer in August 2018. She
had declined to seek re-election as a Representative for Arizona in 2018 in
favor of running to take the Senate seat left open by Senator Jeff Flake’s
decision to retire from public office. New Hampshire Senator Kelly Ayotte,
another Republican and supporter of retaining the A-10, had lost her re-election
bid in 2016. There is, of course, a distinct possibility that Arizona Governor
Doug Ducey will now appoint McSally to take McCain's seat, propelling her into
the Senate, anyway.
-----
The Democratic Party’s victories in the House in the 2018 mid-term election,
which has put them in the majority and given them control of the committees,
including the House Armed Services Committee, have raised concerns about whether
Republican advocacy may be enough. Many Democrats, including Adam Smith, a
Representative for Washington State and incoming Chairman of the Armed Services
Committee, have announced their desire to trim the defense budget in the future.
President Donald Trump’s own administration had already said cuts were coming in
the face of surging federal deficits.
But preserving the A-10, a relatively low-cost platform that has repeatedly
proven its worth in combat, might not necessarily be a hard sell to cost-focused
Democrats. There’s a good chance that Democratic members of Congress will also
be quick to question the wisdom of retiring any Warthogs when the Air Force is
complaining that it needs more planes and is pushing to increase its overall
force size from 312 to 386 operational squadrons.
The bigger problem on the horizon for Congress is that they've been in an
increasingly impossible position with regards to the A-10 for months now.
Legislators made sure to include sufficient funding for the wing upgrade kits
for its oldest Warthogs and the Air Force is publicly supportive of that
project. But, in reality, the service seems to be slow-rolling the process and
doesn't expect to begin taking delivery of bulk of those replacement spans for
another four years.
----
Of course, none of this is to say that the battle between Congress and the Air
Force is over. Far from it, especially if McSallys still becomes a Senator in
the end. At the same time, though, it appears to be an increasingly losing
proposition for legislators.
There may come a time, and soon, when it would become more useful to spend this
time and energy in ensuring the Air Force actually moves ahead with its light
attack aircraft program, which also seems to be in danger of dying on the vine,
and otherwise pushing the service to develop new ground attack capabilities and
preserve the knowledge base the A-10 community has cultivated over the decades.
Perhaps with McSally’s loss and McCain’s passing, now the remaining defenders of
the vital ground attack capability and capacity the Warthogs provide will go on
the offensive again. But considering that the USAF has made just keeping the
aircraft in the inventory a constant and outright nagging battle, it's possible
that they will decide to focus their political capital elsewhere.
more at
http://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/24936/whats-to-come-of-the-a-10-now-that-it-has-lost-some-of-its-loudest-defenders-in-congress
*