Phil Gingrey: Despite Gates, The Fight For The F-22 Is Not Over Yet

Statement

On many occasions in these pages I have made the case for why the F-22 Raptor is so vital to our national security. Simply put, in the early days of a conflict, air superiority is critically important, and the F-22 provides unrivaled air superiority.

That is why others - namely the Russians and the Chinese - are trying to develop Raptor-like technology. Just this week the top admiral in the Chinese navy discussed their development of a stealthy fighter capable of supercruise. Further, sophisticated and highly lethal missile systems such as the SA-20 and S-300/400 are proliferating worldwide.

A January column I penned informed that a certification that the F-22 either was or was not in the "national interest" was required by the Obama Administration by March 1. The Obama Administration did not comply with this statute, and on April 6, Secretary Gates announced that F-22 production would be capped at 187 aircraft. However, in the weeks since Gates' announcement, the logic behind the administration's decision has only become more muddled.

Gates - and others - have argued that we do not need more F-22s since it has not been utilized in Iraq or Afghanistan. Nor have ICBMs or the Navy's ballistic missile submarines been used in those theaters, but I haven't heard DOD propose to eliminate funding for those platforms - or any other weapons system - simply because they haven't been utilized in the Global War on Terror.

Some have said that the usefulness of the F-22 is limited, given that we are more likely to find ourselves in irregular warfare for the foreseeable future and not fighting a nation with conventional military capabilities. Of course, the reason why other nations with more traditional militaries do not wish to pursue a conflict with the United States is precisely because we have superior military assets.

At his news conference, Gates made two comments that particularly struck me. First, he stated that ending the F-22 program was not a close call, and second, that "the military advice that I got was that there is no military requirement for numbers of F-22 beyond 187."

This flippant response as to the program's future is indeed surprising. Considering that he received input from many retired Air Force generals as well as letters from 240 members of Congress, 14 governors, and over 50,000 Americans - all highlighting the importance of the F-22 for both our country's national and economic security - one would think Gates had plenty to think about when mulling the future of the F-22.

Even more galling is Gates' statement that there is no military requirement beyond 187 for the F-22. Nine days following Gates' announcement, Gen. Norton Schwartz, the Air Force Chief of Staff, stated at the National Aeronautic Association Luncheon that "243 is the military requirement" for the F-22.

Gates' comment also doesn't square with the results of over 30 air campaign studies completed over the last 15 years that have validated a requirement for far more than 183 F-22s to replace the original force of 800 F-15s, or with comments made by Schwartz during his confirmation hearings that 183 F-22s were too few.

So, what do all of these numbers mean? Here is what we know. The Air Force originally intended to purchase 740 of these fighters, a number that was later trimmed to 381. This 381 number has since become the Air Force's long-standing requirement prior to this year, and has been deemed to be a low-risk number. The requirement was recently modified to be 243, which represented a "moderate-risk" inventory. The lower that number gets - especially given the aspirations of the Russians and Chinese - the greater the risk to American air supremacy.

In a conversation I had last week with Gen. Schwartz, he made it clear that the decision to cap the F-22 program at 187 was a budgetary decision, and not requirements-driven. However, I do not believe the United States should ignore military requirements when it comes to the defense of our nation. Keeping our citizens safe and protecting our freedoms is worth the investment.

It is clear that a lean F-22 fleet numbering 187 is not consistent with American's national security interest.

Therefore, you can be sure that this isn't over. The administration plans to purchase the final four F-22s in an emergency supplemental spending bill to be considering by Congress in the coming weeks. It has become clear through my conversations with Schwartz that in order to meet Air Force requirements, this number should be 20.

To that end, I will continue working with members of both the House Armed Services and Appropriations Committees - and the Air Force - to ensure that we have a sufficient number of our nation's most capable fighter. What Obama and Gates don't know is that the fat lady is not singing in room 119 of the Cannon House Office Building.

U.S. Congressman Phil Gingrey, M.D. represents Georgia's 11th Congressional District.

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