Stimulus and Readiness

As Congress works to transform President Obama's economic recovery package into a trillion-dollar picnic featuring pork, payoffs, and pandering, let us hope they to divert some funds to the task of restoring part of America's strained, if not quite broken, military.

Former President Bush, while pursing the campaigns in Iraq and elsewhere, allowed Defense budgets to remain dangerously low. As a consequence, the last three presidents have left America with a military that finds much of its equipment in a state of disrepair, and with some equipment "just plain used up" and in need of replacement. The much needed stimulus package provides an opportunity to restore some of the military capability lost over the last 20 years. One program in particular fulfills a critical need; and satisfies the requirements President Obama defined for programs in the stimulus package. That program, the F-22 Raptor, would:

• Put people to work quickly. Because the Bush Administration left the program on life support, the F-22 is, to steal a term from governors and mayors, "shovel ready". The production line is in place, costs, suppliers, and contractors are known. All that remains is to call back laid off workers, order and receive raw materials, and start building planes.

• Provide a lasting benefit. The F-22 will have a life span of 20 to 40 years; considerably longer than the playground equipment, pothole repairs, and water slides proposed by many state and local politicians.

• Stimulate the Economy quickly by spending most of the money over a couple of years. The F-22 will employ myriad contractors and thousands of workers in many states. Running production lines three shifts a day will get Americans back to work and deliver more bang for each buck than spreading the purchases out over many years. Building the F-22s faster will also restore Air Force capability more quickly, which could in turn deter a war; a "small benefit" that might ultimately save the lives of many.

Arguments that fighter planes have become unneeded, obsolete relics of the Cold War reflect a dangerous tunnel vision. If you disagree, please consider what might happen if Taiwan made an ambiguous statement that China misinterpreted as a declaration of independence. China has emphatically stated that such a move would lead to war. Provoked or not, one reality above all others has deterred any Chinese move across the 90 mile Taiwan Strait. Regardless of how many troops China dispatches to Taiwan, the Chinese understand that none of those troops can swim across the last 45 miles of the Strait.

For ten years or so, China has worked on modernizing its Air Force; a program that continues today. With equally capable pilots, most of the new planes could match or best a new F-15--much less one degraded by age. Of greater concern, if China believed, rightly or wrongly, that it could gain and hold air superiority over the Strait, China might gamble on an invasion--regardless of provocation. Thus, a role seems to remain for air superiority fighters.

Designed to replace aging F-15s, the Air Force urgently needs the F-22. During 2007, an F-15 broke apart in the air, injuring the pilot. The crash investigation found flaws that endangered pilots and indicated that some F-15s had simply worn out. For about three months, the Air Force grounded or severely curtailed the operation of roughly half of the F-15 fleet. The grounded planes had, and still have, the mission of winning and holding control of the air; that is, flying against and defeating enemy fighter planes. The pilots of those F-15s could easily find themselves up against newer, more modern fighters; fighters that are superior to brand new F-15s.

Deployed in sufficient numbers, the Raptor could give America unchallenged control of the air for years to come; years during which no power would dare challenge our Air Force. In the face of that opportunity, imagine your son, grandson, or any American pilot flying from Okinawa to Taiwan in a worn out F-15 to duel newer, more advanced fighters.

For years, the Bush Administration ignored Air Force requests and defied Congress by holding up production of the Raptor. A continued willingness to send American pilots against up to date fighters in F-15s, and later in F-35s, instead of more capable F-22s breaks faith with our pilots and those on land and sea who depend on them. Doing so when Congress plans to toss a trillion dollars around like hot cakes at a church breakfast borders on criminal malfeasance. The time has come to fund enough F-22s to allow the Air Force to do its job.

If you agree with the views presented here, please send a note to your senators; your Congressman probably has a safe seat; hence, he or she does not care what you think or how you vote.

DJ