by DAVID AXE
An Army general has joined the chorus of lawmakers, officers and industry reps calling for continued production of the F-22 Raptor fighter, which the Pentagon wants to cap at 187 copies. Major General Raymond Rees, adjutant general of the Oregon National Guard, wants the Pentagon to buy 100 extra F-22s, over four years, to equip the Air Guards of the so-called “corner states” — Massachusettes, Florida, Louisiana, California and Oregon. Today, F-15 and F-16 squadrons in the these states are responsible for U.S. air defense, but those jets are more than 20 years old, on average.
Guard adjutants occupy strange positions in the Pentagon org chart. They answer first to their governors, and during peacetime oversee the activities of Army and Air Force Guard units. In wartime, their forces chop to the active-duty military structure. In advocating for more F-22s, Rees is speaking for his state, not for the Pentagon or the broader U.S. Army. And bear in mind, states have strong economic reasons for wanting locally based fighter squadrons. Each squadron is a conduit for millions of dollars in federal funding, most of which is spent in the state.
The Pentagon has promised to distribute slower, cheaper F-35s to the corner states, but at a later date than Rees wants.
(Photo: via Airshow.aero)
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Kill it already… The money could be spent so much more effectively, or rather not spent to lessen the crushing debt already enslaving future generations.