When Senator Jeff Flake was first asked by Tucson radio show host James T. Harris last summer if he was concerned about the Air Force’s plan to mothball the A-10, Flake responded that he was not concerned because the F-35 was going to replace it. Flake’s comments signaled to pilots that he did not understand the role of the A-10, the condition of the F-35, or the determination of the Air Force to get rid of the Warthog as fast as possible.
Luckily for the residents of Southern Arizona, home of Davis Monthan Air Force, a Senator from across the country, New Hampshire Republican Sen. Kelly Ayotte, does understand the Air Force and the games they play. As a result, Ayotte has issued a warning to the Air Force that their apparent attempt to retire the A-10 “in violation of current law,” has not gone unnoticed and will not be tolerated.
In a letter dated January 24 to Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James, Ayotte alleges that the Air Force Air Combat Command (ACC) has issued orders intended to stop Suite 8 development, which “will prevent any new subsystems from being installed and integrated into the airframe’s avionics architecture,” and prevent the upgrades of the identification friend or fire beacon to levels required by 2015 (To read the letter click here).
Ayotte also asserts, “Without IFF Mode 5, combatant commanders will be unlikely to allow the A-10 to operate in contested areas,” essentially leaving the plane unusable after 2015, which just so happens to be the date the Air Force has set for the plane’s divestment.
“The Air Force appears to be taking steps to retire the A-10 in violation of the law before Congress has had a chance to receive and scrutinize the Department of Defense’s FY 2015 budget request as it relates to the A-10,” writes Ayotte.
Just last month, Ayottte fought successfully for the inclusion of language into the 2014 National Defense Authorization Act, which prevented the Air Force from retiring or preparing to retire, or “place in storage” A-10 planes, except those scheduled for retirement as of April 9, 2013.
“I ask you to reverse this action which I believe is in violation of the law,” concluded Ayotte.
Last week, despite volumes of evidence to the contrary, Flake maintained his claim that the F-35 will replace the A-10, but he did concede his earlier claim that there was nothing to be concerned about was wrong. “The problem is right now you don’t have anything to fill the A-10’s slot to provide close air support. The F-35 is a long way off,” Flake told a Tucson newspaper. “Ultimately, if the F-35 can take that place, fine.”
Still, Flake was in denial about the Air Force’s commitment to hurry the A-10’s demise. “In the interim,” he told the paper, “we probably need the A-10. I don’t think the A-10 mission will end quickly.”
Senator John McCain, a fellow member with Ayotte on the Senate’s Committee on Armed Services, has been silent on the subject of the A-10. McCain has great disdain for his constituents in Arizona and has done so little to represent them that just this weekend; he was censured by the members of the Arizona GOP.
In an article in the Wall Street Journal; Admirers Join Forces to Save ‘Warthog’ Jet, Major General Johnson said that if the A-10 were to be divested, “There’s a risk that attrition will be higher than it should be — that’s a clever way of saying more people will get hurt and die — and extreme risk is that you might not win.” With that simple statement, for the first time, we have an Air Force official saying that the USAF is accepting risk in terms of higher Army casualties, and even mission failure if they cut the A-10.
Supporters of the A-10 have been encouraging the public to call their representatives in support of the aircraft, which provides the close air support so desperately needed by the troops on enemy ground.
Senate contact numbers are:
Alexander, Lamar (TN)(202) 224-4944
Ayotte, Kelly (NH)(202) 224-3324
Baldwin, Tammy (WI)(202) 224-5653
Barrasso, John (WY)(202) 224-6441
Baucus, Max (MT)(202) 224-2651
Begich, Mark (AK)(202) 224-3004
Bennet, Michael F. (CO)(202) 224-5852
Blumenthal, Richard (CT)(202) 224-2823
Blunt, Roy (MO)(202) 224-5721
Booker, Cory A. (NJ)(202) 224-3224
Boozman, John (AR)(202) 224-4843
Boxer, Barbara (CA)(202) 224-3553
Brown, Sherrod (OH)(202) 224-2315
Burr, Richard (NC)(202) 224-3154
Cantwell, Maria (WA)(202) 224-3441
Cardin, Benjamin L. (MD)(202) 224-4524
Carper, Thomas R. (DE)(202) 224-2441
Casey, Robert P., Jr. (PA)(202) 224-6324
Chambliss, Saxby (GA)(202) 224-3521
Coats, Daniel (IN)(202) 224-5623
Coburn, Tom (OK)(202) 224-5754
Cochran, Thad (MS) (202) 224-5054
Collins, Susan M. (ME) (202) 224-2523
Coons, Christopher A. (DE) (202) 224-5042
Corker, Bob (TN) (202) 224-3344
Cornyn, John (TX)(202) 224-2934
Crapo, Mike (ID)(202) 224-6142
Cruz, Ted (TX)(202) 224-5922
Donnelly, Joe (IN)(202) 224-4814
Durbin, Richard J. (IL)(202) 224-2152
Enzi, Michael B. (WY)(202) 224-3424
Feinstein, Dianne (CA)(202) 224-3841
Fischer, Deb (NE)(202) 224-6551
Flake, Jeff (AZ)(202) 224-4521
Franken, Al (MN)(202) 224-5641
Gillibrand, Kirsten E. (NY)(202) 224-4451
Graham, Lindsey (SC)(202) 224-5972
Grassley, Chuck (IA)(202) 224-3744
Hagan, Kay R. (NC)(202) 224-6342
Harkin, Tom (IA)(202) 224-3254
Hatch, Orrin G. (UT)(202) 224-5251
Heinrich, Martin (NM)(202) 224-5521
Heitkamp, Heidi (ND)(202) 224-2043
Heller, Dean (NV)(202) 224-6244
Hirono, Mazie K. (HI)(202) 224-6361
Hoeven, John (ND)(202) 224-2551
Inhofe, James M. (OK)(202) 224-4721
Isakson, Johnny (GA)(202) 224-3643
Johanns, Mike (NE)(202) 224-4224
Johnson, Ron (WI)(202) 224-5323
Johnson, Tim (SD)(202) 224-5842
Kaine, Tim (VA)(202) 224-4024
King, Angus S., Jr. (ME)(202) 224-5344
Kirk, Mark (IL)(202) 224-2854
Klobuchar, Amy (MN)(202) 224-3244
Landrieu, Mary L. (LA)(202) 224-5824
Leahy, Patrick J. (VT)(202) 224-4242
Lee, Mike (UT)(202) 224-5444
Levin, Carl (MI)(202) 224-6221
Manchin, Joe, (WV)(202) 224-3954
Markey, Edward J. (MA)(202) 224-2742
McCain, John (AZ)(202) 224-2235
McCaskill, Claire (MO)(202) 224-6154
McConnell, Mitch (KY)(202) 224-2541
Menendez, Robert (NJ)(202) 224-4744
Merkley, Jeff (OR)(202) 224-3753
Mikulski, Barbara A. (MD)(202) 224-4654
Moran, Jerry (KS)(202) 224-6521
Murkowski, Lisa (AK)(202) 224-6665
Murphy, Christopher (CT)(202) 224-4041
Murray, Patty (WA)(202) 224-2621
Nelson, Bill (FL)(202) 224-5274
Paul, Rand (KY)(202) 224-4343
Portman, Rob (OH)(202) 224-3353
Pryor, Mark L. (AR)(202) 224-2353
Reed, Jack (RI)(202) 224-4642
Reid, Harry (NV)(202) 224-3542
Risch, James E. (ID)(202) 224-2752
Roberts, Pat (KS)(202) 224-4774
Rockefeller, John D., IV (WV)(202) 224-6472
Rubio, Marco (FL)(202) 224-3041
Sanders, Bernard (VT)(202) 224-5141
Schatz, Brian (HI)(202) 224-3934
Schumer, Charles E. (NY)(202) 224-6542
Scott, Tim (SC)(202) 224-6121
Sessions, Jeff (AL)(202) 224-4124
Shaheen, Jeanne (NH)(202) 224-2841
Shelby, Richard C. (AL)(202) 224-5744
Stabenow, Debbie (MI)(202) 224-4822
Tester, Jon (MT)(202) 224-2644
Thune, John (SD)(202) 224-2321
Toomey, Patrick J. (PA)(202) 224-4254
Udall, Mark (CO)(202) 224-5941
Udall, Tom (NM)(202) 224-6621
Vitter, David (LA)(202) 224-4623
Warner, Mark R. (VA)(202) 224-2023
Warren, Elizabeth (MA)(202) 224-4543
Whitehouse, Sheldon (RI)(202) 224-2921
Wicker, Roger F. (MS)(202) 224-6253
Wyden, Ron (OR)(202) 224-5244
In Arizona call:
| Senator John McCain | 202-224-2235 | 602-952-2410 | www.mccain.senate.gov/ |
| Senator Jeff Flake | 202-224-4521 | 602-840-1891 | www.flake.senate.gov/ |
| Rep Ann Kirkpatrick(D1) | 202-225-3361 | 520-316-0839 | www.kirkpatrick.house.gov/ |
| Rep Ron Barber(D2) | 202-225-2542 | 520-881-3588 | www.barber.house.gov/ |
| Rep Raul M. Grijalva(D3) | 202-225-2435 | 520-622-6788 | www.grijalva.house.gov/ |
| Rep Paul A. Gosar(R4) | 202-225-2315 | 480-882-2697 | www.gosar.house.gov/ |
| Rep Matt Salmon(R5) | 202-225-2635 | 480-699-8239 | www.salmon.house.gov/ |
| Rep David Schweikert(R6) | 202-225-2190 | 480-946-2411 | www.schweikert.house.gov/ |
| Rep Ed Pastor (D7) | 202-225-4065 | 602-256-0551 | www.pastor.house.gov/ |
| Rep Trent Franks (R8) | 202-225-4576 | 202-225-4576 | www.franks.house.gov/ |
| Rep Kyrsten Sinema (D9) | 202-225-9888 | 602-956-2285 | www.sinema.house.gov/ |
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