McCain, allies cheer watchdog report defending A-10

Three Republican lawmakers are saying “I told you so” after a government watchdog agreed that the Air Force is prematurely trying to retire the popular A-10 “Warthog” attack jet.

“The nonpartisan [Government Accountability Office] has concluded what we’ve been arguing for years,” Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain (R-Ariz.) said in a statement. 

{mosads}”There is no justification for the Air Force to prematurely retire the A-10 fleet, and doing so could leave the military with a serious capability gap our military needs to confront complex security challenges around the world,” he added. 

The A-10 provides troops in combat with close air support.

The Air Force has been trying to retire the A-10 fleet for several years, arguing it is too expensive to maintain the Cold War-era aircraft and that the money would be better spent on newer planes that perform multiple functions. It has also argued that other aircraft could perform close air support missions. 

The plans received heavy pushback from McCain and Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.), as well as ground troops, who argued the A-10 was the best close air support platform for troops in combat. The plane flies low and slow, and has a powerful gun designed to mow down enemy tanks. 

The jets have been deployed in the fight against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, as well as to Eastern Europe to reassure allies nervous about Russian aggression in the region. 

The GAO on Wednesday afternoon released its report, which said the Pentagon and the Air Force did not have “quality information on the full implications of A-10 divestment, including gaps that could be created by A-10 divestment and mitigation options.” 

Furthermore, the GAO found that the Air Force’s 2015, 2016 and 2017 estimates for potential savings “did not meet best practices for being credible.” 

“When our ground troops are under fire and they call for help, we have an obligation to send them the best possible close air support, and that is why I will continue to fight to protect the A-10,” Ayotte said in a statement. 

McCain and Ayotte are both facing tough reelection fights this fall. There is an A-10 squadron based at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, in McCain’s home state of Arizona.

The GAO’s finding was also cheered by another Arizona lawmaker and former A-10 squadron commander. 

“There’s no replacement for the A-10’s unique ability to carry out Close Air Support, including situations that require an ability to loiter, fly under weather, and visually identify friendly and enemy forces,” said Rep. Martha McSally (R-Ariz.), a retired Air Force colonel and the first woman to fly in combat.

McCain noted that Congress has again protected funds for the A-10 in the 2017 defense authorization bill, for flight hours, pilot training, fuel, maintenance and ammunition. 

“I’m proud to have once again included in the Senate-passed National Defense Authorization Act a provision that would prevent the Air Force from following through with its dangerous proposal to prematurely retire the A-10,” he said.

“At a time of growing threats to our national security, any divestment of this critical aircraft without the fielding of a suitable replacement would leave our men and women in uniform without the best close-air support weapon in our arsenal that is needed now more than ever to meet the challenges of a more dangerous world.”