Air Force firings followed budget battle

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By Rowan Scarborough

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates' decapitation of the Air Force leadership came months after a heated debate pitting Mr. Gates and his staff against Air Force generals over spending priorities, knowledgeable sources have revealed.

Gen. T. Michael Moseley, whom Mr. Gates fired June 5 over lax nuclear weapons controls, vehemently argued in private for producing more F-22 Raptors, an advanced stealth fighter that represents air power's future.

Gen. Moseley, a fighter pilot with extensive combat experience, argued that Mr. Gates and his budget shop were so focused on providing money for the current wars of counterinsurgency, it shortchanged the Air Force's future, according to a source close to the Air Force leadership.

The four-star general, who steps aside later this month, wanted an overall larger 2009 defense budget.

"You have to do the whole spectrum of warfare and modernize," said the source, who asked not to be named because it would jeopardize his contacts. "If something goes up over North Korea, irregular warfare is not going to help you."

Mr. Gates made a whirlwind tour of Air Force bases last week to reassure a nervous rank and file that firing Gen. Moseley and the service's top civilian, Michael Wynne, did not signal rough times ahead.

In his talks, Mr. Gates acknowledged unspecified disagreements.

"We've had disagreements, to be sure," the defense chief told Air Force personnel, without elaborating. "There's little use in pretending otherwise."

A spokesman for Mr. Gates declined to comment on what disagreements the secretary had with the two men he fired.

Speaking to Air Force personnel last week, Mr. Gates laid down his marker: "There must be focus on the wars we are in, as well as building future capabilities."