PENTAGON-(IDB) : Leaked documents from a Pentagon budget review suggest that the agency is tired of its costly F-35 fighter jets, and has thoughts about canceling the $391.2 billion program that has already expanded into 10 foreign countries.
Pentagon officials held a briefing on Wednesday in which they mapped
out ways to manage the $500 billion in automated budget cuts required
over the next decade. A slideshow laid out a number of suggestions and
exposed the Pentagon’s frustration with its F-35 jets, which are
designed and manufactured by Lockheed Martin Corp. based out of
Bethesda, Md. The agency also suggested scrapping plans for a new
stealthy, long-range bomber, attendees of the briefing told Reuters.
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel spoke to reporters on Wednesday and
indicated that the Pentagon might have to decide between a “much smaller
force” and a decade-long “holiday” from modernizing weapons systems and
technology.
Pentagon briefing slides indicated that a decision to maintain a
larger military “could result in the cancellation of the $392 billion
Lockheed Martin Corp F-35 program and a new stealthy, long-range
bomber,” Reuters reports.
When officials familiar with the budget review leaked the news about
the F-35s, the agency tried to downplay its alleged intentions.
The F-35 program is the Pentagon’s most expensive weapon system. A
fleet of 2,443 aircraft has an estimated price tag of $391.2 billion,
which is up 68 percent from the projected costs measured in 2001.
Earlier this year, Air Force
Lieutenant General Christopher Bogdan, the F-35 program manager,
condemned the manufacturer for “trying to squeeze every nickel” out of
the Department of Defense.
Although the warplane is the most expensive combat aircraft in
history, its quality is lacking. In February, the US military grounded
an entire fleet of F-35 Joint Strike Fighters because of a crack found
on a turbine blade on one of the jets, marking the fourth time that a
fleet was grounded because of manufacturing problems. In April, Bogdan
told a Senate committee that he doubted the planes could withstand a
sophisticated cyberattack.
But before the sequestration took effect this year, the Pentagon
secured several contracts with Lockheed Martin to ensure the continued
production and maintenance of the costly F-35s. This week, the Defense
Department struck another deal with the company to produce 71 more jet
fighters, claiming the costs per aircraft have been reduced by about 4
percent – an insignificant reduction when compared to the 68 percent
price increase that has occurred since 2001.
After news broke of the Pentagon’s prospect to cancel the program,
officials tried to control the damage of such an alarming statement that
runs counter to the claims they publicly make.
“We have gone to great lengths to stress that this review identified,
through a rigorous process of strategic modeling, possible decisions we
might face, under scenarios we may or may not face in the future,”
Pentagon Spokesman George Little told Reuters in an email when asked
about the slides. “Any suggestion that we’re now moving away from key
modernization programs as a result of yesterday’s discussion of the
outcomes of the review would be incorrect.”
An unnamed defense official familiar with the briefing told Reuters
that the leaked budget document indicated possibilities for a worst-case
scenario. He admitted that the Pentagon considered scrapping the
program, but said it was unlikely, since “cancelling the program would
be detrimental to our national defense.”
Regardless of the Pentagon’s intent, Congress is responsible for
authorizing Department of Defense spending, and has often forced the
agency to make costly and unnecessary weapons purchases.
Last year, US Army
Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno said that the US has no need for new
tanks. But even though senior Army officials have repeatedly stated that
there is no need to spend half a billion dollars in taxpayer funds on
new 70-ton Abrams tanks, lawmakers from both parties have pushed the
Pentagon to accept the useless purchases.
Earlier this year, an investigation revealed that lobbying efforts by
Northrop Grumman have kept a costly Global Hawk drone flying, despite
the Pentagon’s attempt to end the project. A defense authorization bill
passed by Congress requires the Air Force to keep flying its Block 30
Global Hawks through at least 2014, which costs taxpayers $260 million
per year.
The US spends more money on defense than any other nation, but
lawmakers from both parties often insist that the agency continue to buy
tanks and keep ships and planes it no longer needs. Although the
Pentagon has expressed its frustration with the costly F-35 fighter
jets, there is little the agency can do without congressional support.
