US Air Force photo
Michael Donley, Secretary of the Air Force, and Gen Norton Schwartz, chief of staff, have finally explained how the US Air Force advised Secretary of Defense Robert Gates to halt production of the F-22 after 189 aircraft (minus three losses).The duo published an op-ed today in The Washington Post. Here are the two most relevant paragraphs.
Based on different warfighting assumptions, the Air Force previously drew a different conclusion: that 381 aircraft would be required for a low-risk force of F-22s. We revisited this conclusion after arriving in office last summer and concluded that 243 aircraft would be a moderate-risk force. Since then, additional factors have arisen.Reading this explanation raises as many questions as it answers. The USAF apparently isn't revisiting its assessment; the DOD is. So that means the USAF still thinks its assessment remains valid, right? If the USAF has not already re-assessed the basis for a moderate-risk force of 243 aircraft, how can its leadership advise Gates to shut down F-22 production?
First, based on warfighting experience over the past several years and judgments about future threats, the Defense Department is revisiting the scenarios on which the Air Force based its assessment. Second, purchasing an additional 60 aircraft to get to a total number of 243 would create an unfunded $13 billion bill just as defense budgets are becoming more constrained.
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