Inside the Ring

Wynne vs. McCain

Former Air Force Secretary Michael W. Wynne is challenging Sen. John McCain, Arizona Republican, and Senate Democrats who want to block further production of advanced F-22 fighter bombers.

Mr. McCain, ranking Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, has joined ranks with Committee Chairman Sen. Carl Levin of Michigan and other Democrats in opposing a Republican effort to add $1.75 billion to the current defense budget for seven F-22s, which would keep open the production line beyond the planned purchase of 187 jets.

Debate on funding the additional F-22s was halted July 14 and will resume next week. President Obama has threatened to veto the defense spending bill if the F-22 money is included.

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates is expected to address the F-22 debate in a speech Thursday night.

Mr. McCain said in a Senate floor statement July 13 that those who want more jets argue that limiting production to 187 fails to meet war-fighting needs for air power.

For example, the senator noted that Air Force Gen. John Corley, commander of the Air Combat Command, has stated that a total of 381 F-22s would meet operational demands with a low level of risk, and that a force of 243 to 250 jets would produce moderate risk.

Mr. McCain noted, however, that the Pentagon in December 2004 decided that 183 F-22s would be sufficient to meet military requirements based on “several analyses which affirmed that number based on a number of variables, including the length and type of wars that DoD believes it will have to fight in the future and future capabilities of likely adversaries.” The number was later adjusted to 187.

Mr. Wynne, who was asked by Mr. Gates to resign in June 2008 over Air Force nuclear mishaps, stated in an e-mail produced with former special assistant John Wheeler that the Air Force did not carefully study the cut in required F-22s.

“The analyses were result-driven and false,” Mr. Wynne and Mr. Wheeler stated. “They were not objective.”

Gen. Corley, they said, “is a war-fighting general and his voice is the one to trust.”

“Why [has] no analytical support been made available to support the lower number of aircraft? Because there never was any,” they said.

Mr. Wynne and Mr. Wheeler said that the F-22 is much more capable than the F-35, and that failing to produce more F-22s will prevent the United States from reaching “air dominance” in a future conflict. They also said Mr. Gates is underestimating future threats by limiting F-22 production.

A spokesman for Mr. McCain had no immediate comment.

In a letter to Mr. Levin sent July 13, current Air Force Secretary Michael B. Donley and Chief of Staff Gen. Norton A. Schwartz argued against producing more than 187 F-22s and defended production cuts.

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