WASHINGTON - Rep. Michael Turner (R-OH), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces, made the following opening statement for today's hearing entitled "Combat Aviation Modernization Programs and the Fiscal Year 2016 Budget Request"...
Chairman Turner's Opening Statement Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces "Combat Aviation Modernization Programs and the Fiscal Year 2016 Budget Request"
Rep. Michael Turner (R-OH), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces, made the following opening statement for today's hearing entitled "Combat Aviation Modernization Programs and the Fiscal Year 2016 Budget Request".
"The subcommittee meets today to receive testimony on the Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force budget requests for combat aircraft programs for fiscal year 2016.
I'd like to welcome our distinguished panel of witnesses today:
• Vice Admiral Paul A. Grosklags, Principal Military Deputy to the Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Research, Development, and Acquisition)
• Lieutenant General Jon M. Davis, Deputy Commandant of the Marine Corps for Aviation
• Rear Admiral Michael C. Manazir, Director of the Air Warfare Division for the U.S. Navy
• Major General Timothy M. Ray, Director, Global Power Programs,
And • Lieutenant General Mike Holmes, Air Force Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans and Requirements
I thank you all for your service and look forward to your testimony today.
As we review the fiscal year budget requests for combat aviation forces, it's clear that the Budget Control Act of 2011 continues to force the military to make short term decisions that have long term consequences on our National Security. It is clear that the combat aviation programs of the Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force are confronted by trade-offs in capability, capacity, and readiness.
Capabilities are those modernization programs that provide the systems necessary to defeat current and future threats. Capacity is the ability to retain sufficient force structure to meet current and future requirements, and readiness is the training in those systems.
The Navy and Marine Corps are facing shortfalls in fighter aircraft. For fiscal year 2016, the Navy deferred 16 F-35s in the future years defense program, trading capability for today's readiness. The Navy has truncated its procurement of F/A-18E/F aircraft, also trading capacity for readiness. Now the Navy will be 134 aircraft below its requirement of fighter aircraft in the 2020 timeframe, with an average of about 100 aircraft short between now and 2020. If we assume that a shortfall of 65 aircraft would be manageable for the Navy, this leaves the Navy short about 35 aircraft or three squadrons of strike fighters.
Last year, the Air Force canceled the F-16's combat avionics programmed extension suite, or "CAPES." CAPES would have equipped the block 40, 42, 50 and 52 fleets with new radars and defensive systems that increase survivability against emerging threats. This trade was made to meet today's readiness requirements. This year, as it did last year, the Air Force is proposing to retire over half of its A-10 fleet, reducing fighter capacity below the Air Force's 2000-aircraft requirement.
As you know, I didn't support the Budget Control Act of 2011. Last night the House passed the Budget Resolution. The agreement sets the base defense budget at BCA funding levels and makes up the difference by increasing the overseas contingency operations (OCO) request.
Increasing the OCO request to offset sequestration is not the ideal solution. The only ideal solution is to repeal sequestration but this is what we're going to have to deal with as we begin to markup the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016.
I am concerned this budget request will reduce both capacity and capability in our strike fighter forces, affect readiness, and result in a higher risk in achieving military objectives in the future.
I look forward to our Service witness testimony today which I hope will expand on the risks associated with the capacity and capability reductions in our combat aviation forces."
