Gates will fight restoration of the F-22
I’m glad to see that Gates is not just rolling over on this. Nancy A. Youssef and David Lightman in McClatchy:
Defense Secretary Robert Gates Thursday said he was having "a big problem" with Congressional efforts to restore funding for the F-22, indicating that a showdown is looming between the Pentagon and Capitol Hill over the future of the one of the Air Force’s most advanced fighter jets.
Gates had proposed ending production of the F-22 Raptor and replacing it with the F-35 or Joint Strike Fighter, an unpopular decision among airmen who favor the aircraft and members of Congress from 46 states, whose districts benefit from aircraft construction.
He spoke after the House Armed Services Committee Wednesday approved $369 million for "advanced procurement" of 12 F-22s in the fiscal year starting in September.
Even some top Air Force commanders are backing the drive on Capitol Hill for hundreds more F-22s than Gates is seeking. In a June 9 letter to Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., Gen. John Corley, the commander of the Air Force’s Air Combat Command, wrote: "In my opinion, a fleet of 187 F-22s puts execution of our current national military strategy at high risk in the near to mid term." …
Continue reading. It’s tough to govern the country for the benefit of the public once a substantial number of Representatives and Senators have simply been purchased by big business.
