EckerNet.Com

Earlier this week Air Force Lt. Gen. David Deptula warned that the US was losing it\’s advantage is air power due to more advanced aircraft and missiles being fielded by other countries.  The next day (Wednesday), Secretary of Defense Gates dismissed that notion by pointing out that with the addition of the F-22 and the F-35, the United States will maintain air superiority for years to come.

Today, address­ing the same audi­ence, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the notion of a “fighter gap” is non­sense. Instead, the “more com­pelling gap” is the “deep chasm” that exists between ever more capa­ble U.S. air­craft and that of other nations that will ensure U.S. air supremacy “far into the future.”

That\’s correct to a certain extent, the F-22 and the F-35 were designed and built specifically to address the fielding of foreign aircraft that were more than a match for our aging F-16, F-15 and F-14s.

The problem with that though is that the Obama Administration has already cut the F-22 program.  And they apparently have such an animosity towards them that they refused to allow an F-22 to be in the same hangar where Obama was recently giving a speech to the very people that fly the F-22.  And now, rumors are flying on capital hill that the F-35 (Joint Strike Fighter) program will also be cut back.

Yesterday the F-22 and the F-35 are the keys to maintaining our air superiority, and today they are on the chopping block? Which is it Gates? Are they expendable or critical to our defense.  If the former, then how do you address Lt. Gen Deptula\’s claims?

In addition, apparently two carrier groups may also be cut.  Currently the US fields 11 active carriers, but the thing with carriers is the are huge complex machines, floating cities in their own right.  You really need three to have one.  For every three carriers more often than not, one will be down for maintenance/upgrades/refueling/etc, another is on training manuevers and the other is available for active duty.  So our current total of eleven carriers means we realistically have three to four fully ready, and that\’s split between two damn big oceans and other miscellaneous seas.

For a government that\’s spending a trillion dollars on industries it\’s not even supposed to be involved in, it\’s awfully funny they can\’t afford a $7 billion dollar aircraft carrier for a role in which they are constitutionally mandated to perform.

[Crossposted at True North]