SASC Report Includes Indictment of USAF

The Senate Armed Services Committee today released the report accompanying S.1376, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016. Contained within the document is a scathing indictment of the United States Air Force’s plans to mothball the A-10 and willingness to limit the “ability of the combat air forces to effectively meet the requirements of the combatant commanders and defense strategy.”

In his comments, North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis wrote, “…to put it bluntly, the Air Force wants to take the “air” out of “airborne.”

According to the report, the committee recommended a provision “that would require the Secretary of the Air Force, the Secretary of the Army, and the Director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to jointly conduct a demonstration of the Persistent Close Air Support (PCAS) capability in fiscal year 2016. The provision would require that the Air Force use in the demonstration at least two platforms with which the Air Force intends to employ future CAS missions.”

Because the Committee “is concerned that the Air Force does not appear to be devoting appropriate attention to the close air support (CAS) mission and capabilities for which it is largely responsible,” it directed the Comptroller General of the United States to conduct a review of the close air support mission with emphasis on:

(1) Review of historical proposals for distributing close air support responsibilities and force structure among the services;

(2) The extent to which the Department of Defense has defined CAS requirements and allocated responsibilities and  force structure among the services to meet those requirements; and

(3) The extent to which the Department has evaluated options for distributing CAS responsibilities and capabilities across the services and whether those need to be redistributed, including whether the Air Force’s A–10 aircraft fleet and supporting infrastructure could feasibly be transferred to the Army and/or the Marine Corps.

The committee acknowledged that the Comptroller General is conducting a study directed National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015 “to specifically assess platforms used to conduct the close air support mission in light of the recommendation by the Air Force to retire the A–10 fleet,” but called for a study that takes “a broader perspective across the Department with regard to the close air support mission.”

The Committee called for the Comptroller General to brief the committee on his preliminary results by September 30, 2015.

Colonel (ret) Tony Carr, publisher of the popular military website John Q. Public and editor of Harvard Law School’s military journal, stated “The Air Force continues to alienate both chambers of Congress by thwarting legislative intent while simultaneously failing to make a sound case for why it continues to pursue choices that create glaring gaps in the defense portfolio. This comes from a narrow view of war that ignores not just the continuing and dynamic requirements of the post-9/11 security environment, but the balance of our history, which has featured many more small wars than big ones.

“Getting on the wrong side of Congress will hurt the service and its airmen. It’s a shame that it takes this much Congressional input to keep the Air Force from divesting itself of critical missions at the heart of what airpower means to our defense,” concluded Carr.

Former A-10 pilot, Lt. Colonel (ret) Tom Norris stated, “Thankfully the Senate Armed Services Committee understands what the USAF does not, our Ground Troops are not expendable and they deserve the very best Close Air Support platform available. Without this crucial civilian oversight, our Sons and Daughters would be at greater risk in today’s fight while the USAF allocates millions of dollars annually to sporting events, airshows, and Tops in Blues entertainment.”

Read the report here.

As part of the record, North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis wrote:

Mr. Chairman and Senator Reed, I have the privilege of representing America’s Global Response Force, the XVIII ABN Corps and the 82nd ABN Division. As Senator Reed knows from his long service in the Division, the 82nd is the most decorated combat unit in the armed forces—it is America’s Guard of Honor. General Colin Powell famously said, “There is nothing that gets a bad guy’s attention quicker than knowing the 82nd ABN is flying straight for his nose.” But to put it bluntly, the Air Force wants to take the “air” out of “airborne.” In 2012 the Air Force decided to de-activate the Reserve Air Wing at Pope Army Airfield at Fort Bragg and eliminate on-site daily support for training for XVIII ABN Corps, 82nd ABN and USASOC.

As part of the record, New Hampshire Senator Kelly Ayotte wrote:

“If there were any lingering doubt about the continued lethality, survivability, effectiveness, or relevance of the A–10, one only need to look to Iraq and Syria where the A–10 is taking the fight to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

With A–10s fighting ISIL in the Middle East, assuring allies in Europe, and deterring aggression on the Korean peninsula, now is not the time to divest the Air Force’s most combat-effective and cost-efficient CAS aircraft.

If the Air Force decides to ignore the clear and consistent will of the overwhelming majority of soldiers, special operators, and JTACs, I will continue to stand with them in opposition to the Air Force’s plans to prematurely divest the A–10.

Instead of engaging in an annual battle over the future of the A–10, I welcome the opportunity to work with the Air Force to begin to identify the required capabilities and mission platform that could eventually replace the A–10. Once an equally capable platform reaches full operational capability, I will be among the first to support the retirement of the A–10.

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