Plotting our National Defense

I was saddened to read in the paper this morning that an F-22A Raptor, the latest and greatest fighter plane employed by the Air Force at present, crashed yesterday during a training exercise in California. The 49 year-old test pilot for Lockheed Martin, David Cooley, was killed as a result of the crash. This is the second time that an F-22 has crashed. The previous crash in December 2004 resulted only in the loss of the plane as the pilot managed to eject before the jet crashed to the ground. At present there are 134 of the jets in operation around the Air Force with a total of 183 being planned for; however, I was a little shocked to read that Congress was continuing to press for an additional 20 aircraft to be manufactured prior to the ending of the program.

Now being a self-professed lover of all things aviation, I was a little surprised to read that Congress, not the Air Force was pushing for the decision and I can say that I'm a little surprised by this. Although I do believe in having a strong national defense program, shouldn't the Air Force be the one deciding whether they want an additional 20 of the F-22 rather than Congress? Congress has been involved in the planning and deployment of aircraft before and the results have not always been as intended. For example, back towards the tail end of the Vietnam War, the Air Force began requesting bids for a replacement for the aging F-105 Thunderchief and the Navy wanted to replace their F-4 Phantom (which would still be in use even during the Gulf War nearly 20 years later). Rather than courting separate bids for different aircraft, Congress and the Defense Department recommended that a single aircraft solution be chosen.

Now of course with the competing attitude that pervaded the military at the time it's not surprising to find out that the two services had drastically different requirements and the stipulation that a single solution be chosen ultimately led to the F-111 growing overbudget even before it was approved. Ultimately the F-111 would only find use in the Air Force and the F-14 would be developed and be chosen by the Navy. And therein lies my problem with Congress making a decision without fully understanding what it is that they want. Sure there are lots of Congressmen who have served in the military or have deep ties to the military that give them an edge in understanding what the requirements and desires of the military are but that doesn't mean that they have the necessary wherewithall to solve the gaps being brought up.

Part of the problem (as I see it) is that a lot of decisions are made on paper rather than with the brain and by that I mean that potential cost savings are seen as the answer rather than a part of the answer. When money is being tightened and spending is being reigned in, you obviously won't go overboard in expenditures but that doesn't mean just because a solution seems to make sense on paper (one solution... or one plane for everyone)that it will translate to an actual savings in the end. Now the F-35, the next generation fighter being developed for all the services (and it appears that it will be used by all the services) has been in development for a few years now and will be deployed in the near future.

However, the issue that is also coming up more and more often these days is the fact that these weapon systems (while important) are no longer as effective against the opponents we now face in the current crop of wars. Certainly against larger opponents like Russia (during the Cold War) or any of the Asian superpowers that appear to be ready to step forward and threaten us it would be a major concern but in the Global War on Terrorism, is a supersonic fighter plane going to be as effective? One of the most useful aircraft on the battlefields of Afghanistan and Iraq has been the AC-130; a four-propeller gunship (designed around Vietnam too) that has continued to provide reliable service and support to ground troops. Shouldn't that be a concern as well? Perhaps Congress should speak more to the people who are expected to fight our wars rather than talking amongst themselves.