Today, U.S. Senators Kelly Ayotte, John McCain, Lindsey Graham, Johnny Isakson, Saxby Chambliss, and Congressmen Ron Barber, Vicki Hartzler, and Austin Scott will be joined by former Joint Terminal Attack Controllers (JTACs) at a press conference to support the effort to prevent the premature divestment of the A-10.
Among the close air support experts scheduled to speak is Charlie Keebaugh, president of the Tactical Air Control Party (TACP) Association, which represents 1,300 JTACs – close air support experts who ensure American ground troops receive the precise and effective close air support they need when in close contact with the enemy. Mr. Keebaugh served on active duty for 10 years as a JTAC and TACP Instructor, and he saw combat as a JTAC deployed to Afghanistan with the 75th Ranger Regiment.
Also expected to speak is Master Sergeant (retired) Tim Stamey – an Air Force combat veteran, Silver Star recipient, and former JTAC. He served in the Air Force for almost 22 years, including 14 years as a JTAC with extensive experience controlling a variety of aircraft in combat – including A-10s, F-15s, F-16s, B-1s, and B-52s. Master Sergeant (retired) Stamey was awarded the Silver Star for his actions during Operation Enduring Freedom. According to his Silver Star citation, in late 2001 and early 2002 in Afghanistan, “Sergeant Stamey provided positive terminal attack control on over eighty sorties of fighters and bombers destroying over seventy-five tanks, mobile anti-aircraft systems, and vehicles, four ammo-dumps, numerous command and control facilities and bunkers, inflicting 2,139 enemy casualties.” Master Sergeant Stamey believes the A-10 is the United States’ best close air support aircraft— one that he credits with saving many American lives. He opposes the Air Force’s decision to prematurely retire the A-10 – a decision he believes will put U.S. troops at increased risk in future conflicts.
On Wednesday, representatives of the Project On Government Oversight, the Straus Military Reform Project, the London Center for Policy Research, the Center for International Policy and the Center for a Secure and Free Society sent a letter to the Chairmen and Ranking Minority Members of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees. The letter urged the conferees to “reject this [the Air Force’s] interference with your legislation’s overwhelmingly clear intent” that the A-10 force be retained, as is, in 2015. The letter also address funding levels and a provision for a needed GAO study of the cost and capabilities of the A-10 in the close air support mission compared to other airframes, according to Winslow T. Wheeler, director of the Straus Military Reform Project.
Wheeler wrote on Wednesday, in a letter to his group, “One of the most prominent issues to be resolved is whether or not to ignore the clear intent of the House of Representatives and the Senate Armed Services Committee to permit the A-10 Warthog fleet, or any part of it, to be retired in 2015. As you may know, the Air Force has been lobbying hard and holding press conferences trying to get the NDAA conferees to ignore the clear intent of both the House and Senate versions of the NDAA. (A commentary I published at War Is Boring addresses some of the details of the Air Force’s concocted effort. It is at http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2014-11-12/house-chairman-mckeon-aids-homestate-company-linked-to-his-son.)”
Also on Wednesday, A-10 advocate Command Chief Master Sergeant (ret.) Chuck Wooten, told the Tucson listening audience of the James T. Harris show, that he and A-10 legendary pilot Lt. Colonel Tom “Chuck” Norris had questioned the Air Force’s claim that it is now necessary to shift A-10 crew away the airplane to the maintenance of new F-35. That move would result in the mothballing of the A-10.
According to Wooten, “Previous discussions about cutting the A-10 were about money. The need to reallocate money, but now they’re saying we don’t have enough people. So what the Air Force is doing is really Hail Mary pass. They’re expecting the folks in the Senate; where this is at right now, to not be versed on how they actually do business. They say this IOC needs 1100 maintainers, of that 1100, they say they’re planning on getting 800 from the A-10 community as if they could just turn them into F-35 maintainers. The Air Force is about 300,000 folks. They could find the people they need. It’s just a matter of how you position them.”
Listen to Chuck Wooten talk Bruce Ash, CD2 and the A-10 here.
“I just very quickly today jotted down a list of about seven different ways that they could come up with qualified maintenance for these airplanes. Instead the generals lament that they couldn’t have all brand-new airman working on these airplanes. But the fact of the matter is, that it doesn’t matter if they’re working on A-10 or a bicycle; they’re still going to have to have F-35 training. That’s going to take some time, but there are some things that they can do. Your selling a pig in a poke here. Trying to get the uninformed to go along with this sob story. That’s what it is: 800 troops do not need to come out of the 800 in the A-10 community.”
“I think that they know that when McCain gets that,” Wooten concluded referring to McCain taking over as Chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, “they’re going to lose, and so I do believe that they’re making a Hail Mary pass and it won’t be any more effective than it was before.”
Tucson, Arizona is home to Davis-Monthan Air Force base.