Sequestration Blues

[unhappycamper]

http://breakingdefense.com/2013/09/17/gen-welch-dismisses-talk-of-scrapping-air-force-pledges-to-protect-kc-46-f-35a-long-range-bomber/



Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh speaks at annual Air Force Association conference.

Gen. Welsh Dismisses Talk Of Scrapping Air Force; Pledges To Protect KC-46, F-35A, Long Range Bomber
By Colin Clark on September 17, 2013 at 6:21 PM

Why is the Air Force so adamant about protecting the F-35 and Long Range Strike bomber? (We assume you know that tankers are a key reason America is a global power and our 50-year-old tankers need replacing)?

The head of Air Combat Command, Gen. Mike Hostage, made the point plainly this afternoon at the Air Force Association’s annual conference. If we are to be a global power capable of deterring and defeating possible threats then we need fifth-generation aircraft. The “tiny fleet” of roughly than 185 F-22s isn’t large enough to meet the Clausewitzian need for numbers, Hostage said: “The 1,763 F-35s is not a luxury; it’s a national security imperative.”

The bombers are needed because the aging but still highly capable fleet of 20 B-2s is just too small to be effective in the aggressive anti-access/area denial warfare the military predicts is likely. Think lots of highly accurate and relatively long-range surface-to-air missiles, with enormous amounts of electronic jamming and tactical aircraft.

The Pentagon currently plans to build 100 of the new bombers, armed with highly sophisticated sensors, electronic jamming gear and boasting built-in stealth that would be much more resilient than that used on the B-2s. It would also allow the United States, several Air Force officers here told me, to boast enough bombers to hold at bay even an enormous country like China since we could penetrate its airspace at multiple points across a wide swath. The most recent budget included at least $400 million for the new bomber.



unhappycamper comment: "The “tiny fleet” of roughly than 185 F-22s isn’t large enough...". Yea, but that 'tiny' fleet of F-22s cost 185 x $418 million = $77,330,000,000.

".. aging but still highly capable fleet of 20 B-2s ". Those B-2s were also somewhat expensive: 20 x $2.1 billion = $22,100,000,000.


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http://www.dodbuzz.com/2013/09/18/winnefeld-to-congress-need-to-know-budget-for-2014/

Winnefeld to Congress: Need to Know Budget for 2014
By Richard Sisk Wednesday, September 18th, 2013 1:48 pm

“We need to get our old stuff out of the system so we can buy and maintain new stuff,” he said.


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http://www.stripes.com/top-military-leaders-stop-continuing-sequestration-before-capabilities-are-jeopardized-1.242023


Top military leaders: Stop continuing sequestration before capabilities are jeopardized
By J. Taylor Rushing
Published: September 18, 2013

WASHINGTON -- A House committee heard an alarming message on Wednesday from the leaders of the top four U.S. armed forces about the continuing impacts of forced federal budget cuts that would slice into the “muscle and bone” of the military’s maintenance and readiness.