Congress of the United States ‘Washington, DE 20515 March 17, 2016 The Honorable Rodney Frelirghuysen ‘The Honorable Pete Visclosky Chairman Ranking Member Defense Appropriations Subcommittee Defense Appropriations Subcommittee H-405 The Capito! 1016 Longworth House Office Building ‘Washington, DC 20515 Washington, DC 20515 Dear Chairman Frelinghuysen and Ranking Member Visclosky, ‘As the subcommittee prepares its Fiscal Year 2017 Defense Appropriations legislation, we respectfully ask for your cont nued support ofthe A-10 “Warthog” airerat fleet. The A-10 has unique capabilities for Close Air Support (CAS), Forward Air Control-Airbome (FAC-A) and. Combat Search-And-Rescue (CSAR), that are critical to save American lives. We need a proven, tested replacement designed for CAS, FAC-A and CSAR missions before retiring any additional ‘A-10s, and must ensure remaining A-10s inthe inventory re equipped for their current and ature missions The Pentagon's Director, Opsrational Test & Evaluation is planning to include comparative testing ofthe A-10 head to ead withthe F-35A for these important mission sets in spproximately FY 2018. Therefore, itis prudent to not mothball any more A-10s until thet esting is complete and an independent pany ceriles to Congress that the F-35A can replace the unique capabilities ofthe Warthog, Until the F-35A achieves Full Operating Capability and is tested and certified to replaceall ofthe A-10"s unique capabilities without increasing risk to our twoops, we request full funding for the A-10 fleet, which is $1,023.6M for FY17. ‘We also request your support for the continuation of Enhanced Wing Assembly (EWA) program. There are 283 A-10s in inventory, 173 EWAs have been purchased, and only 114 A-10s have had EWAs installed. An additional 18 EWAs willbe installed this year, 28 in FY17, and 13 in FYI8, There are no additional EWAs scheduled inthe FYDP. A-10s with new wings can fly \well beyond their expected sevice life of 2028, Without new wings, 13 A-10s would be grounded in FY18 and 47 wold be grounded through FY21. This year’s budget request includes only $1.3M for final delivery of wings from previous years. The existing contract expires atthe end of this fiscal year unless the Ne Force exercises an option for an additional SO wings. I the contract expres, we expect the EWA’s unit cost forse. Inthe National Defense Authorization ‘Act for Fiscal Year 2016, $240M was authorized forthe EWA program. We ask your support for any similar authorization this year as well as any Above Threshold Reprogramming requests The A-10 was specifically designed to support ground forces and deliver unmatched CAS and FAC-A capability to save American lives when they ae in danger close to enemy forces or civilians in complex circumstances. The redundant systems and titanium around the cockpitmake the A-10 survivable ftom small arms fire and MANPADS direct hits, allowing the pilot to fly close enough o visually detect targets and friendlies if required, The A-10's effisient twin engines and fuel sapacty provide the loiter time necessary to stay on station to deliver continuous suppor. The Warthog is equipped with the powerful 30 mm gun which fires armor- piercing depleted uranium or high-explosive incendiary bullets, and can be armed with a variety of other GPS and laser-guided or gravity bombs, missiles, and rockets for unmatched lethality in the fighter inventory, Additionally, the maneuverability ofthe A-10 is ertieal in CAS missions with terain and/or poor weather. These capabilities allow the A-10 to provide CAS inthe most complex circumstances, even in bad weather, mountainous ferain and under fire. No other airplane in our inventory possestes these unigue attributes thet ean keep our troops alive when it matters most In addition to CAS and FAC-A missions, the A-10 is the US. military's best CSAR aircraft. The A-10's avionics and exceptional communications upgrades such as the LARS radio, and hhelmet-mounted cuing, combined with its lethality, loiter time, and maneuverability, make the aircraft critical tthe CSAR mission, The A-10 is on ground and air alert right now inthe ISIS Fight for this eritical mission of leading all aspects of a CSAR mission. Without the ability to ‘uickly locate, communicate with, protect, and rescue a downed pilot, we risk an American pilot meeting the same fate asthe captured Jordanian pilot in 2015. Commanders costinue to request and use the A-10 in the fight against ISIS, in Europe, and in South Korea. A-l0s are currently deployed to the Middle East for CSAR and offensive operations agains ISIS, a threat which did not exist when the Administration frst decided to try to retire the aircraft. They are also deployed to Europe to reassure and tain our allies in CAS amid increased Hussian aggression, and are permanently stationed in South Korea for deterrence and anti-armor capability against North Korean belligerence. With no foreseeable improvements to the global threat environment, we must maintain and improve the A-10, which isamong the ‘most capable and cost-effective weapon systems in the Air Force’s current inventory Four A-10 squadrons have been mothballed since 2012 and the remaining have less aircraft than inthe past, We currently have only nine operational A-10 squadrons left across the active duty, {uatd, and reserve, for a total of171 deployable A-10s, and cannot afford to go any lover in the ‘curent security environment. To meet our needs, we respectfully request that this year’s Defense Appropriations tll Fully funds sufficient airframes, depot support, and experienced maintainers. ‘The Air Force needs a next-generation A-X before attempting to mathbell any additional A-10s. ‘Congress has th responsibility to the joint force to ensure the Air Foree is committed to replacing the capabilities ofthe A-10 for CAS/FAC-AICSAR. The director of operations for Air ‘Combat Commad noted thatthe Air Force as used the A-10 extensively and has “literally flovin the wings offi.” In a March 3, 2016 Senate hearing, Air Force Chief of Staff, General Mark Welsh, admitted that “The mission capability of the A-10 will not be replaced by the F- 35." The Air Force cannot continue it duty to national defense without a dedicated CAS/FAC-AJCSAR weapon syste, Therefore, as we wat forthe results of he A-10 vs P35 Ayo, it ‘would be prudent ota investigating the possible development ofan A-X light atak arrat instead. We respecthlly ask your suppor for developing the A-X to fil these critica roles, and ask thatthe A-X progiai inchs investigating potentially re-winging and rengining the current A-10 fleet omet those requirements ‘We thank you for yeur continued suppor ofthe A-10 “Warthog” and its critical missions and urge you to support :he current fleet until a proven, tested replacement forthe A-10 e Sincerely, ha ‘Maitha MeSally ‘Member of Congress ‘Member of Congress. San “Member of Congress Debbie diet a Ruben Gallego ’ Member of Congress Member of CongressPaul Gosar ‘Member of Lillies