Editorial: When ‘no’ means ‘no’

[unhappycamper]

Editorial: When ‘no’ means ‘no’

The brief but intense flap between Defense Secretary Robert Gates and the Air Force over the future of the F-22 was inevitable, given service leaders’ continuous efforts to drum up support for more planes.

Long-simmering tensions erupted when it was reported that Gen. Bruce Carlson, head of Air Force Materiel Command, said the Air Force would find a way buy 381 Raptors, regardless of defense officials’ intentions to cap the program at 183 to 187 fighters.

The Air Force later provided a transcript of the Q & A session with reporters, which showed that Carlson added the important caveat: “if DoD and the Congress will allow us to do it.”

That would seem to take his comments out of the realm of insubordination.

In fact, his statement that the Air Force is “committed to fund 380” jets and is “building a program right now to do that” may have gone a bit further than the other Air Force generals and civilian leaders who have said much the same thing. But the only difference seems to have been in nuance and tone.


Rest of article at: http://www.airforcetimes.com/community/opinion/airforce_editorial_f22_030308/



uhc comment: The F-22 Raptor costs $355,000,000 a pop.