In US budget deficit wars, there seems to be only one consensus: it's time to kill or cut back the F-35 and V-22.
Our review of eight budget reduction proposals by a hodge-podge of centrist, leftist and libertarian think tanks reveals a startling insight: All of them agree that two military aircraft programmes should be terminated or scaled back, and all of them agree those two programmes should be the BellBoeing V-22 and the Lockheed Martin F-35. Among these various policy proposal, only the bipartisan Sustainable Defense Task Force suggests delaying also the KC-46 procurement. Otherwise, their recommendations are clear and unanimous. If only all Washington budget debates these days could be so clear-cut.
There remain some -- such as the Heritage Foundation, American Enterprise Institute and House budget committee chairman Rep Paul Ryan -- who oppose any significant budget cutbacks beyond those already identified in former Secretary of Defense Bob Gates' "efficiencies initiative", which actually did scale back the F-35 in the short-term but left the V-22 untouched.
Our review of eight budget reduction proposals by a hodge-podge of centrist, leftist and libertarian think tanks reveals a startling insight: All of them agree that two military aircraft programmes should be terminated or scaled back, and all of them agree those two programmes should be the BellBoeing V-22 and the Lockheed Martin F-35. Among these various policy proposal, only the bipartisan Sustainable Defense Task Force suggests delaying also the KC-46 procurement. Otherwise, their recommendations are clear and unanimous. If only all Washington budget debates these days could be so clear-cut.
There remain some -- such as the Heritage Foundation, American Enterprise Institute and House budget committee chairman Rep Paul Ryan -- who oppose any significant budget cutbacks beyond those already identified in former Secretary of Defense Bob Gates' "efficiencies initiative", which actually did scale back the F-35 in the short-term but left the V-22 untouched.
| Proposals | V-22 | F-35 |
|---|---|---|
| Fiscal Commission co-chairs | Cut 170 aircaft | Cut F-35A/C by 1/2, terminate F-35B |
| Debt Reduction Task Force plan | Defer or terminate | Defer or terminate |
| Galston-MacGuineas Plan | Terminate | Reduce purchases and slow production |
| Center for American Progress | Cut by $1.9 billion | No change |
| Cato Institute | Terminate | Build fewer F-35As |
| Roosevelt Institute | Terminate | Terminate |
| Economic Policy Institute | Not mentioned | Cut by $47.9 billion |
| Sustainable Defense Task Force | Terminate | Terminate |
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