re: #68 Dark_Falcon

And some good news out of Arizona as the Republican who now holds Ms. Giffords seat in Congress has proven a valuable voice in smacking down the Air Force’s dumb attempt to get rid of the A-10:

In the House, Rep. Martha McSally wrote to Carter stating that she knew from her own experience as a former A-10 pilot and 354th Fighter Squadron commander that the A-10 is uniquely capable for combat search and rescue missions, in addition to CAS, and that the retirement of the A-10 through a classified assessment violated the intent of Congress’ compromise with the Air Force.

The classification of the explanation for cutting the most effective close air support platform flies against the open nature of our government. The public has a right to review the analytic methods used, the alternatives assessed, and any competing recommendations. Otherwise, it is reasonable to conclude the “rubber stamp” nature of the classified report is simply a backdoor attempt at divestment.

Some in the press have been similarly skeptical of the Air Force’s intentions, saying that the plan “doesn’t add up,” and more colorfully, calling it “total bullshit and both the American taxpayer and those who bravely fight our wars on the ground should be furious.”

Those reports similarly cite the Air Force’s longstanding antagonism to the CAS mission as the chief motive for the A-10’s retirement.

The Air Force, for its part, has trotted out the previously proven-as-a-failure idea of putting the A-10’s cannon onto the F-16 as a gun pod. Which is of course to say the USAF is still stuck on ‘Stupid’ when it comes to Close Air Support.