More MIlitary Unpreparedness

Air Force Sends Congress $16.9 Billion Wish List

Several of my recent posts have been about the "wish lists" of various military branches because our resources are being depleted and our readiness status is way below where it needs to be, as is illustrated by the contents of these wish lists. While the Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard have been discussed, this article brings to the table the needs and wishes of the Air Force... to the tune of almost $17 BILLION...almost as much as the three other active duty branches combined. Mind you, this is the wish list for the active duty components and does not include the needs of the reserve components of the USAF.

Air Force leaders have sent a $16.9 billion wish list to Capitol Hill, detailing dozens of aircraft and other programs that did not make the cut for the Pentagon's fiscal 2008 budget request.

The 406-page list of "unfunded priorities" is substantially larger than similar documents submitted to Congress by the other military services this month. It also is $11.3 billion more than the value of the Air Force's unfunded list last year -- another indication that the service, which has traditionally enjoyed the largest share of the Defense budget, is concerned it might not receive enough money in fiscal 2008 to cover all its needs.

Last month, Air Force leaders warned House appropriators that their procurement accounts should not be sacrificed to pay for the needs of the heavily deployed Army and Marine Corps.

Topping the Air Force's fiscal 2008 list is $2.6 billion for several aircraft modernization programs, including a proposal to buy 20 additional C-130J cargo planes, manufactured by Lockheed Martin Corp. in Marietta, Ga. The aircraft modernization money also would buy five CV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft, accelerating production on the Bell-Boeing program to "replace capabilities from combat losses in the vertical lift fleet," according to the Air Force document.