This week the Twitter account of Senator John McCain celebrated the passage the National Defense Authorization Act, which essentially guts the A-10 program. The Senate voted 85-10 to provide a mere $144.2 million for the re-winging of the A-10 Warthog.
I'm very proud the Senate voted 85-10 to pass the #FY19NDAA, vital legislation that will provide for our men & women in uniform while helping the military restore readiness, rebuild capacity & modernize capabilities. https://t.co/5MpOSvGQFn
— John McCain (@SenJohnMcCain) June 18, 2018
Each set of wings cost approximately $10 million each, so the $144.2 million is an insult at best. According to experts, the allotted $144.2 million will drastically reduce the fleet which currently stands at 281. Experts say that the United States Air Force (USAF) intends to only maintain approximately 215 Warthogs.
The failure to maintain oversight of the USAF by both McCain and McSally, who has made the fate of the A-10 a reason to elect her to the U.S. Senate this time, all the while seemingly to have doomed the Warthog to the boneyard, appears to be in violation of the law.
Former New Hampshire Senator Kelly Ayotte and McSally’s predecessor, Arizona Congressman Ron Barber, maneuvered to essentially outlaw any moves by the Air Force to mothball the A-10.
At the time, Ayotte 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.
Capitol Hill watchers say Ayotte and Barber alone made this happen – not McSally or McCain, who like to now take credit.
So, McCain’s tweet came as no surprise to most A-10 supporters’ consensus that he is unable to fulfill his duties, and that he has switched loyalties to the experimental light attack aircraft program.
Tucsonans find it alarming to see the end result of both McCain and Arizona Rep. Martha McSally’s alleged fight to save the A-10 come up short year after year. Despite press releases, speeches, and TV commercials claiming the A-10 has been saved along and the threat removed of closing Davis Monthan Air Force base in Tucson.
McCain has not been on Capitol Hill since before Christmas 2017. With Ayotte’s defeat in 2016 election cycle, A-10 advocates hoped McCain would double his efforts on behalf of the Warthog. However, the aggressive form of brain cancer from which McCain is suffering combined with the deep pockets behind the light fighter program may have proven too powerful for the ailing senator.
With McSally, a former A-10 pilot herself and member of the House Armed Services Committee, and with McCain as chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, residents expect Tucson would have two strong fighters for local military operations.
However, McSally came to the A-10 fight late in her short congressional career and her inability to forge alliances with fellow congressional members has left the A-10 in a lurch on the House level. McSally continues to come up short on her promise to save the A-10 with each new budget that allows only a handful of A-10s to be re-winged each time, while continuing to tell the public that this is her top priority.
“Well, leadership is about making things happen, not being a bystander,” said one A-10 advocate about McSally upon reading McCain’s tweet. “Most of all it’s not about claiming responsibility for things you didn’t do and even more significantly, not misleading voters who can’t or won’t read a budget.”