OTHER MEMBERS JOIN STEARNS IN SENDING LETTER TO DEFENSE SECRETARY GATES EXPRESSING OPPOSITION TO PROPOSED CUT IN JCA PROGRAM

Washington, Apr 27, 2009 - “The U.S. Army’s current airlift capability is insufficient, forcing the Army to use aircraft that cannot perform medical evacuation or transport missions and to use aging Chinook helicopters in a role for which they were not designed,” stated Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-Sixth). “The 2009 Quadrennial Roles and Mission Report concluded “the option that provided the most value to the joint forces was to assign the C-27J to both the Air Force and Army.”

The Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates, is considering cutting funding for the program in half. Alenia North America had expected to build 78 C-27J Spartan cargo planes at its facility at the Cecil Commerce Center. Not only does this proposed cut pose a threat to America’s military airlift capabilities, it threatens continued expansion at Cecil. Alenia had committed to creating at least 300 new, permanent jobs at Cecil, with an additional 470 jobs expected to be created indirectly from the JCA Program.

Stearns gathered the support of other House members in sending a letter to Secretary Gates urging the Department of Defense (DoD) to fully fund the JCA program. The letter notes that, “The JCA is designed for the needs of the servicemen and women fighting on asymmetric battlefields and is one of the few DoD programs that is running on budget and on time. The JCA will allow for more rapid delivery of larger cargo loads to shorter and more remote airstrips and help fill the logistical needs of the war fighter on the modern battlefield.”