WASHINGTON, D.C. – Upholding his promise at a recent rally in St. Louis to fight until his last day in the U.S. Senate for Missouri workers, Senator Kit Bond today pressed Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to increase funding for the F/A-18 Super Hornet and reverse the cancellation of the Next Generation Bomber during an appropriations subcommittee hearing on defense issues.

 

“I realize that our nation needs to make sacrifices in these tough economic times, but we cannot afford to sacrifice our nation’s security,” said Senator Kit Bond. “Yet, instead of wisely investing taxpayer dollars in a multi-year procurement program that is under-budget, ahead of schedule and currently available—like the Super Hornet—the President is betting blind with an unproven, long-delayed, over-budget and unavailable F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.”

 

During today’s hearing, Bond criticized the Administration’s dangerous defense cuts, particularly the underfunding of the F/A-18 that will result in empty carrier decks, pose a risk to America’s ability to meet current and emerging threats, and deteriorate the U.S. tactical fighter production business.  Bond pointed to the March 2009 study by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service that projects a 243 Navy strike-fighter shortfall unless the Administration changes course.  In almost a dozen Armed Services Committee hearings, Secretary Gates and Admiral Mullen have failed to counter these startling numbers or present Congress with a feasible plan to address the shortfall. 

 

Bond acknowledged that although the military’s decision to transition to the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) is a reality, but currently, the JSF is long-delayed, over-budget, and unavailable.  On the other hand, there is an affordable and available alternative – the St. Louis-made F/A-18 Super Hornet.  The Super Hornet is the world’s most lethal aircraft, is consistently on-time and on-budget, and is the only plane available now to fill the Navy’s anticipated shortfall of fighter planes.  Choosing to underfund the F/A-18 Super Hornet could cause irreparable damage to our defense industrial base.  Funding cuts to the Super Hornet program could result in the loss of the engineers, skilled workers and design teams that produce the aircraft that maintain our technological and military superiority.  Bond also noted that funding the Super Hornet to bridge the gap before the JSF is ready will also save millions in taxpayer dollars.  Three Super Hornets can be purchased at $49 million a copy versus one JSF at $150 million.  

 

In his statement for the record Bond also stressed the importance of the Next Generation Bomber.  Bond called the Administration’s decision to put this important program on hold a disturbing turn of events. The Senator emphasized that U.S. bombers are approaching 30 years in age, access to the world’s troubled areas are becoming more difficult, and our enemies are advancing in defense technology – trends that should spur increased investment in defense technology, not vice versa.  Cancelling this important program not only is another risk to our aerospace industrial base, it also threatens our ability to meet future national security challenges.

 

“As it stands today the Next Generation Bomber has been cancelled, eviscerating the skilled engineering and design teams needed for the development of future capabilities,” said Bond. “It doesn’t take multiple studies to figure out that we need to develop this capability.”

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