DonYoung

Defense Funding

    I believe that a well funded and equipped military is the best deterrent against those who are a threat to freedom and prosperity and the best way to maintain a peaceful world.  It is for that reason that I am deeply troubled by the funding priorities laid out by President Obama and Defense Secretary Gates, specifically the cuts to the F-22 program and the Missile Defense Agency.

    The F-22 was designed to be the best fighter in the world for the next twenty years and is the only 5th Generation fighter that has been fielded.  And there are already situations in which a 4th Generation fighter like the F-15 or F-16 would be unable to operate in due to sophisticated and lethal air defense systems like the SA-20 and S-300/400.  The first F-35 squadrons won’t be fully formed until 2013, leaving a critical vulnerability in the Air Force’s ability to provide air dominance, the most crucial aspect of our military’s success.  If production is capped at 187 F-22s it is not enough to deter or meet the potential threats facing our country.  It will, more likely than not, leave the United States in the same vulnerable position it is in now, with rapidly aging planes and an Air Force that is unable to establish air dominance with minimal loss of planes and people the way it has over the past 50 years.

    The cuts to the Missile Defense Agency would also prevent our military from fully fielding a capability that will protect Americans and our allies.  At a time when Pakistan remains unstable and North Korea and Iran are testing ICBMs and developing nuclear weapons, it does not make sense to stop the fielding of a system that has proven its ability to shoot down missiles. 

    President Obama's budget has many aspects with which I agree, including the increase in the size of the Army and Marines.  However, it is important to remember that the challenges we face today are not the challenges we will face tomorrow.  And unless we plan for those challenges today, we will not be able to successfully and peacefully overcome them.