The Flimsy Rationale for Cutting the C-17 Program
Matthew Grulke /
On February 2nd, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates told Congress that the military needs no additional C-17 aircraft and that the production line should be shut down in 2011. His testimony drew bipartisan criticism from several senators, including Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) and Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK). Senator McCaskill protested “we keep hearing…this is something that the military doesn’t want.… Then I go over there [to Afghanistan and Iraq], and that’s not their attitude at all.” Sen. Inhofe added that he believes America’s airlift capacity is in “dire straits,” and that it is a travesty America’s airmen are still flying old C-130E models, despite persistent engine troubles.
Congress has so far resisted this Administration’s and previous attempts to terminate the C-17 program, arguing rightly that it is a vital platform with much-needed capabilities relevant to both today’s battlefields and humanitarian crisis response operations. The aircraft is designed to deliver heavy cargo onto short and or semi-prepared runways. This unique capability is crucial to current humanitarian relief efforts in Haiti, where airports have been severely damaged by the recent earthquake. The lift capabilities of this aircraft have also added value in Afghanistan, which lacks sophisticated infrastructure. (more…)