Earlier this month, the ADI reported that Rep. Martha McSally and Sen. John McCain had spiked the ball too soon in the fight to save the A-10 and in turn the troops whose lives depend on it. A force map had been published that shows that not only did McSally and McCain mislead the public about the real fate of the A-10; they also misrepresented the fate of Davis Monthan Air Force base.
Some speculate that McCain and McSally actually may have believed the promises by Secretary of Defense Ash Carter that the venerable aircraft was to be spared due to its performance against ISIS forces. The question then becomes – how could two seasoned “defense experts” be so gullible?
| Davis Monthan | |||||||
| Force Map Published 2/16 | FY17 PB | – 6 EC-130H (FY19) | – 25 A-10 (FY 19) | + 21 F-16 *(FY20) | – 28 A-10 FTU (FY20) | – 30 A-10 FTU (FY21) | |
| Force Map Published 2/15 | FY16 PB | -55 A-10 (FY15) | -7x EC-130 (FY15) | -28 A-10 (FY19) | +21 F-16 *(FY19) | ||
| Force Map Published 3/14 | FY15 PB | -55 A-10 (FY15-16) | -7 EC-130 (FY15) | -3 MQ-1 (FY15-17) | +3 MQ-9 (FY15-17) | -28 A-10 (FY19) | +21 F-16 *(FY19) |
According to the father of the A-10, Pierre Sprey, the politicians likely knew that the pronouncement they were making about the A-10 was not entirely true. Sprey, appearing on the James T. Harris radio show, said when Gen. Herbert “Hawk” Carlisle, the head of Air Combat Command, hinted that the USAF would delay the mothballing of the A-10, it only meant that the last of the A-10s would be mothballed in 2022.
Listen to interview here:
*Sources report that the USAF does not have enough F-16s to keep the promises about their placement made to various bases.