Statement of Chairman Gene Taylor

Joint Hearing of the Air and Land Forces and Seapower and

Expeditionary Forces Subcommittees

Department of the Navy and Air Force

Combat Aviation Programs

“I thank the gentleman for yielding and I would also like to thank him, and our ranking members, for holding this hearing on a critical topic.  I’d also like to congratulate him on becoming the Chairman of the Air and Land Forces subcommittee, and I look forward to working with him on matters that affect both of our subcommittee’s jurisdictions.  I’d also like to welcome and thank our two panels of distinguished witnesses for taking time out of their very busy schedules and appearing before us to testify. 

“Given the thorough opening remarks that the Chairman has made, which I also associate myself with, I’ll be brief in my opening comments and will get right to the point.  I am concerned about the lack of affordability of the JSF program and the effect that it will have on all the Services in meeting their tactical aircraft requirements. 

“When this program began in 1996, the primary objective of the program stated in the Department’s baseline document was to ‘produce an affordable family of strike fighter aircraft that meets Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps and Royal Navy needs.’  Since the 1996 baseline, the program has had two Nunn-McCurdy breaches; the unit cost of the aircraft has grown over 80 percent; the total quantity of planned aircraft purchases has decreased by 535 aircraft; and recent operational and risk assessments of the program highlight design and suitability issues that may prevent the aircraft from meeting Department needs. 

“In a recent DOD manufacturing review of the JSF program, the report stated that ‘affordability is no longer embraced as a core pillar.’  In a recent assessment by the Assistant Commander for Research and Engineering at the Naval Air Systems Command, his report stated that ‘affordability expectations are not materializing’, ‘cost increases will put Navy and Marine Corps force structure affordability at risk’, and ‘F-35B and F-35C operations and sustainment costs are estimated to be 40 percent higher than legacy aircraft costs.’ 

“Lastly, when Major General Moore, the current program manager, was recently asked during a briefing to committee staff to define ‘affordable’ as it relates to the JSF program, he stated that ‘I define affordable as the lowest price I can negotiate with the contractor, but I don’t have a specific cost goal in mind.’

“I think it can be safely stated that the JSF program began when only ‘exquisite’ weapons systems were envisioned to meet future requirements. Since the program began, many unpredictable and major events have happened which have put tremendous pressure on the economic security and stability of this country, and have caused many Americans to tighten their financial belts.  I think it’s time for the Department to realistically look itself in the mirror and make the hard choices, especially when other aircraft platforms are available at an affordable cost in meeting warfighter requirements.  

“In remarks to the Army War College in April 2009, Secretary Gates stated that ‘we need to shift away from the 99-percent exquisite, service-centric platforms, that are so costly and so complex that they take forever to build, and only then in very limited quantities. With the pace of technological and geopolitical change, and the range of possible contingencies, we must look more to the 80-percent solution, the solution that can be produced on time, on budget and in significant numbers.  As Stalin once said, “Quantity has a quality all of its own.”’

“I have witnessed over the years what the lack of affordability has done to our Navy’s combatant fleet as it relates to obtaining a minimum of 313 ships, and it’s not acceptable.  In fact, the 313 goal post keeps moving further to the right year after year. 

“This is happening now with the tactical aircraft inventory, and the cost growth and schedule slip of the JSF program is one of the main root causes.   But at least for the Navy and Marine Corps, we have an opportunity to stop the slide during our watch and turn to another alternative. 

“I’ve made a promise to the American people that to the maximum extent possible under my watch as Seapower Chairman, and with the help of my colleagues, the Navy’s ship fleet will no longer be allowed to decrease according to Navy plans.  I am now also making that promise as it relates to the Navy and Marine Corps tactical aircraft inventory.

“I look forward to the witness’ testimony and again, thank them for being here and hope that they can adequately define what affordability means.  With that, I yield back.

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