releases: https://mcsally.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/us-rep-mcsally-leads-bipartisan-effort-begin-re-winging-rest-10-fleet
Data license: MIT · Data source: dwillis/congress-press
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| https://mcsally.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/us-rep-mcsally-leads-bipartisan-effort-begin-re-winging-rest-10-fleet | U.S. Rep. McSally Leads Bipartisan Effort to Begin Re-Winging the Rest of the A-10 Fleet | 2017-12-15 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Republican | House | AZ | Martha McSally | M001197 | mcsally.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, DC U.S. Representative Martha McSally today led a bipartisan, bicameral group of 20 lawmakers in sending a letter request to Senate leadership and high ranking appropriators urging them to include funding for new wings for the A-10 fleet in any final FY18 spending package. The A-10 wing production line was shut down because the Obama Administration unsuccessfully attempted to mothball A-10s and cripple the fleet. These requested funds would jumpstart the production line again. Currently, 110 A-10 aircraftone-third of the fleetare in desperate need of wing set replacements or the Air Force will be forced to start grounding them. A requirement to start to finish re-winging the fleet was fully funded in the FY18 House and Senate National Defense Authorization Acts (NDAAs), the FY18 NDAA conference report, and the House-passed defense appropriations bill. However, Senate Appropriations neglected to include it in their funding bill,regardless of the fact that the Air Force has re-geared up the A-10 depot line in order to sustain the A-10 fleet indefinitely. Now that the Air Force has confirmed that it plans to maintain the A-10 fleet well into the foreseeable future, the remaining 110 wing sets must be delivered as soon as possible. The A-10 remains the only aircraft in the U.S. military specifically designed for Close Air Support (CAS) and Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR). If one-third of the A-10 fleet were to be grounded, it would create a significant capability gap at a time when our service members are facing increasing threat environments,the lawmakers write in the letter. We urge you to fully fund this Air Force UPL list item as authorized/requested in any final spending package for FY18 in order to keep these battle-tested aircraft in the air and in the fight. As ofAugust 30thof this year, the Warthog had dropped roughly 20 percent of all munitionsmore than any other aircraftin the fight against ISIS. The lawmakers point out that the A-10 is currently one of the U.S. militarys most utilized aircraft across multiple theaters, crucial in contingency operations against North Korea, Russian aggression in Eastern Europe, and ISIS in the Middle East. Thanks to Rep. McSallys tireless efforts,Congress has taken clear and concrete steps to preserve the remaining A-10 fleet over the last several years. Since Congresswoman McSally was elected to the House of Representatives, she has effectively canceled the A-10s retirement and fully funded the fleet. She also worked to successfully establish a requirement for the Air Force in FY18 NDAA to maintain no less than 1,970 fighter aircraft, and the A-10 is a vital part of maintaining this force. The funding amount authorized for new A-10 wings in the House, Senate, and conference NDAAs and requested in the House defense appropriations bill would allow the revival of a wing production line and begin the process of supplying these remaining aircraft with the new wings they need to keep flying safely in the future. Politicos Morning Defense reported on Congresswoman McSallys letter this morning. The full letter text follows. View a PDF of the letterHERE. December 15, 2017 Senator Thad Cochran Representative Rodney Frelinghuysen Chairman, Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman, House Appropriations Committee The Capitol, Room S-128 The Capitol, Room H-305 Washington, D.C. 20510 Washington, D.C. 20510 Senator Patrick Leahy Representative Nita Lowey Vice Chairman Ranking Member Senate Appropriations Committee House Appropriations Committee The Capitol, Room S-128 1016 Longworth House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510 Washington, D.C. 20510 Chairman Cochran, Chairman Frelinghuysen, Vice Chairman Leahy, and Ranking Member Lowey: We write to express our grave concern regarding the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittees omission of the Air Forces Unfunded Priority List request for funding to restart A-10C Thunderbolt II wing production in its fiscal year 2018 (FY18) funding bill. The A-10C is currently one of the most utilized aircraft across multiple theaters, and this requirement was fully funded in the FY18 House and Senate National Defense Authorization Acts (NDAAs), the FY18 NDAA conference report, and the House-passed defense appropriations bill. We ask that this same level of funding be secured in any final FY18 spending package in order to prevent a critical capability gap in the operational fleet. As you may know, the Air Force has taken the A-10C out of sunset status (after mothballing the equivalent of five squadrons, leaving only nine deployable squadrons in the inventory) in the face of growing security threats and increased operational tempo in the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and the Korean Peninsula. The A-10 Warthog has continued to be instrumental in U.S. contingency operations around the globe, including just south of the demilitarized zone (DMZ) for critical anti-armor capabilities against North Korea, deploying to Eastern Europe and the Baltics in the face of Russian aggression, conducting missions in the South China Sea in the face of illegal Chinese military expansion in the region, and fighting the Islamic State (ISIS). In fact, as of August 30th of this year, the Warthog had dropped roughly 20 percent of all munitionsmore than any other aircraftin the fight against ISIS, and had flown 14 percent of all sorties deployed since counter-ISIS operations began in 2014. Furthermore, the A-10 is uniquely designed for life-saving missions like Close Air Support (CAS) and Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR). The former protects troops in harms way while the latter involves rescuing downed pilots or other isolated personnel from enemy territory before they become prisoners of war. A-10 pilots specifically train for these missions because only the A-10 has the lethality, loiter time, and survivability to succeed in each of these mission sets. Congress has taken clear and concrete steps to preserve the remaining A-10C fleet over the last several years. In FY16, Congress: fully funded the fleet, prohibited the use of any funds to retire any additional A-10s; required the Air Force to maintain a minimum of 171 combat-coded A-10s; and directed the Air Force to commission an independent assessment of the required capabilities and mission platform to replace the A-10. The FY17 NDAA and defense appropriations bill continued this trend by: preserving the current fleet of 283 A-10s; again requiring a minimum of 171 combat-coded A-10s; mandating adequate maintainers and a regular depot schedule; protecting A-10s in the boneyard from premature destruction; and asking for a plan in conjunction with the FY18 budget request to prevent any A-10s from becoming unflyable due to wing deterioration. Congress also required the Air Force to conduct a comparison or fly-off between the F-35A and the A-10C in CAS, CSAR, and Forward Air Control-Airborne (FAC-A) missions. This provision prevented any retirements until the full operational test and evaluation (OT&E) process for the F-35A is complete and an analysis is done by the Air Force on mission gaps. This exercise has yet to occur. The FY18 NDAA also established a requirement for the Air Force to maintain no less than 1,970 fighter aircraft. The A-10 is a vital part of maintaining this force. However, 110 A-10C aircraftone-third of the fleetare in desperate need of wing set replacements in order to safely continue mission assignments into the coming years. 173 A-10s have already received new wings. But, as the Air Force was considering whether to decommission the A-10 fleet, the contract for wing production was allowed expire before the remaining 110 wing sets could be completed. In September, Gen. Ellen Pawlikowski, commander of Air Force Materiel Command, said the Air Force would be forced to start grounding some A-10s beginning in 2018 because their wings will have reached the end of their service life. Yet, in October, Gen. Pawlikowski also confirmed that the Air Force has re-geared up the A-10 depot line in order to sustain the A-10 fleet indefinitely. Now that the Air Force has confirmed that it plans to maintain the A-10 fleet well into the foreseeable future, the remaining 110 wing sets must be delivered as soon as possible. The A-10 remains the only aircraft in the U.S. military specifically designed for CAS and CSAR. If one-third of the A-10 fleet were to be grounded, it would create a significant capability gap at a time when our servicemembers are facing increasing threat environments. The funding amount authorized for new A-10 wings in the House, Senate, and conference NDAAs and requested in the House defense appropriations bill would allow the revival of a wing production line and begin the process of supplying these remaining aircraft with the new wings they need to keep flying safely in the future until we have a proven, tested replacement for its capabilities. Congress has clearly willed over recent fiscal years that the A-10C fleet be sustained in its entirety. Further, this wing funding was a top Air Force Unfunded Priority List item specifically added into both the FY18 House and Senate defense authorization bills, the FY18 NDAA conference report (which has been signed into law by President Trump), and the FY18 House defense appropriations bill, which passed the House in July. As such, we urge you to fully fund this Air Force UPL list item as authorized/requested in any final spending package for FY18 in order to keep these battle-tested aircraft in the air and in the fight. Sincerely, Martha McSally Johnny Isakson Member of Congress United States Senator David A. Perdue Walter B. Jones United States Senator Member of Congress Mike Turner Mike Coffman Member of Congress Member of Congress Vicky Hartzler Austin Scott Member of Congress Member of Congress Ruben Gallego Paul Cook Member of Congress Member of Congress Colleen Hanabusa Carol Shea-Porter Member of Congress Member of Congress Tom OHalleran Thomas Suozzi Member of Congress Member of Congress Matt Gaetz Don Bacon Member of Congress Member of Congress Jim Banks Earl L. Buddy Carter Member of Congress Member of Congress Adam Kinzinger Kyrsten Sinema Member of Congress Member of Congress Cc: Senator Richard Durbin Ranking Member, Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense Representative Kay Granger Chairwoman, House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense Representative Peter J. Visclosky Ranking Member, House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense Senator Mitch McConnell Senate Majority Leader Senator Chuck Schumer Senate Minority Leader Representative Paul Ryan Speaker of the House Representative Kevin McCarthy House Majority Leader Representative Nancy Pelosi House Minority Leader | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z |