Is Rumsfeld gunning for the F/A-22?

[Henry J Cobb]

This latest leaked memo seems to follow Rumsfeld's pattern of accusing
systems of not being transformational enough.

http://www.pogo.org/p/defense/da-040305-fa22.html
> A document recently leaked showed that the White House had instructed
> the Pentagon to conduct a review of the F/A-22 and the Comanche
> helicopter (a copy can be viewed at
> http://www.pogo.org/m/dp/dp-ombfa22-2004.pdf).

If I was a spin doctor working for The Force, I'd make a quick name
change to F-22 and A-35 and then have Jumper say "Gosh Senator, without
the F-22 to clear the way, what would be the point of building A-35
tactical bombers?"

-HJC

[Tarver Engineering]

"Henry J Cobb" > wrote in message
...
> This latest leaked memo seems to follow Rumsfeld's pattern of accusing
> systems of not being transformational enough.
>
> http://www.pogo.org/p/defense/da-040305-fa22.html
> > A document recently leaked showed that the White House had instructed
> > the Pentagon to conduct a review of the F/A-22 and the Comanche
> > helicopter (a copy can be viewed at
> > http://www.pogo.org/m/dp/dp-ombfa22-2004.pdf).
>
> If I was a spin doctor working for The Force, I'd make a quick name
> change to F-22 and A-35 and then have Jumper say "Gosh Senator, without
> the F-22 to clear the way, what would be the point of building A-35
> tactical bombers?"

"The new GAO report released today documents that the Air Force will only be
able to purchase 218 aircraft, down from the previous estimate of 276. This
would put the per unit purchase price of the F/A-22 at $329 million,
according to calculations by the Project On Government Oversight. However,
this assumes there will be no more funding increases to the program. In
April, 2003 the GAO had testified that per unit costs of the F/A-22 were
$257 million."

Looks like my amortization estimates were a tad low; like the USAF's.

[Thomas Schoene]

Henry J Cobb wrote:
> This latest leaked memo seems to follow Rumsfeld's pattern of accusing
> systems of not being transformational enough.

News flash. Rumsfeld does not run the Office of Management and Budget.


--
Tom Schoene Replace "invalid" with "net" to e-mail
"Our country, right or wrong. When right, to be kept right, when
wrong to be put right." - Senator Carl Schurz, 1872

[Tarver Engineering]

"Thomas Schoene" > wrote in message
ink.net...
> Henry J Cobb wrote:
> > This latest leaked memo seems to follow Rumsfeld's pattern of accusing
> > systems of not being transformational enough.
>
> News flash. Rumsfeld does not run the Office of Management and Budget.

Rumsfeld drops "what if" snowflakes on every question he can think of.

[Henry J Cobb]

Thomas Schoene wrote:
> Henry J Cobb wrote:
>>This latest leaked memo seems to follow Rumsfeld's pattern of accusing
>>systems of not being transformational enough.
>
> News flash. Rumsfeld does not run the Office of Management and Budget.

That's not where this memo came from.

And the GAO report quotes Rumsfeld's office for the sky high price tag.

-HJC

[Thomas Schoene]

Henry J Cobb wrote:
> Thomas Schoene wrote:
>> Henry J Cobb wrote:
>>> This latest leaked memo seems to follow Rumsfeld's pattern of
>>> accusing systems of not being transformational enough.
>>
>> News flash. Rumsfeld does not run the Office of Management and
>> Budget.
>
> That's not where this memo came from.

Yes, Henry, it is. POGO specifically calls it an OMB memo. Even without a
copy on letterhead, anyone familiar with these sorts of documents will
immediately recognize it as an OMB directive. Phrases like "An indepenendant
contractor ... should be comissioned by DoD, with OMB approval..." are
pretty clear markers.

>
> And the GAO report quotes Rumsfeld's office for the sky high price
> tag.

But GAO is misunderstanding what they were told (as they usually do). OSD
came back with a cost for all planned upgrades over the life of the program,
and GAO is claiming that this is only for ground-attack fixes in the near
term.

--
Tom Schoene Replace "invalid" with "net" to e-mail
"Our country, right or wrong. When right, to be kept right, when
wrong to be put right." - Senator Carl Schurz, 1872

[Tarver Engineering]

"Thomas Schoene" > wrote in message
ink.net...
> Henry J Cobb wrote:

<snip >
> > And the GAO report quotes Rumsfeld's office for the sky high price
> > tag.
>
> But GAO is misunderstanding what they were told (as they usually do). OSD
> came back with a cost for all planned upgrades over the life of the
program,
> and GAO is claiming that this is only for ground-attack fixes in the near
> term.

It is a lot of money to add to a $339 million a copy airplane, just to have
a mission.

[Kevin Brooks]

"Thomas Schoene" > wrote in message
ink.net...
> Henry J Cobb wrote:
> > Thomas Schoene wrote:
> >> Henry J Cobb wrote:
> >>> This latest leaked memo seems to follow Rumsfeld's pattern of
> >>> accusing systems of not being transformational enough.
> >>
> >> News flash. Rumsfeld does not run the Office of Management and
> >> Budget.
> >
> > That's not where this memo came from.
>
> Yes, Henry, it is. POGO specifically calls it an OMB memo. Even without
a
> copy on letterhead, anyone familiar with these sorts of documents will
> immediately recognize it as an OMB directive. Phrases like "An
indepenendant
> contractor ... should be comissioned by DoD, with OMB approval..." are
> pretty clear markers.
>
> >
> > And the GAO report quotes Rumsfeld's office for the sky high price
> > tag.
>
> But GAO is misunderstanding what they were told (as they usually do). OSD
> came back with a cost for all planned upgrades over the life of the
program,
> and GAO is claiming that this is only for ground-attack fixes in the near
> term.

Give it up, Tom; this was explained in detail to Henry the last time he
trotted out the GAO report and claimed it was going to take $11 billion plus
to make the F-22 into the F/A-22. He obviously ain't real quick on the
uptake.

Brooks

>
> --
> Tom Schoene Replace "invalid" with "net" to e-mail
> "Our country, right or wrong. When right, to be kept right, when
> wrong to be put right." - Senator Carl Schurz, 1872
>
>
>
>