III

105TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION S. RES. 80

Expressing the sense of the Senate regarding Department of Defense plans

to carry out three new tactical fighter aircraft programs concurrently.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

APRIL 30, 1997

Mr. FEINGOLD (for himself and Mr. KOHL) submitted the following resolution;

which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services

RESOLUTION

Expressing the sense of the Senate regarding Department

of Defense plans to carry out three new tactical fighter

aircraft programs concurrently.

Whereas the Department of Defense has proposed to modernize the United States tactical fighter aircraft force

through three tactical fighter procurement programs, including the F/A–18 E/F aircraft program of the Navy,

the F–22 aircraft program of the Air Force, and the

Joint Strike Fighter aircraft program for the Navy, Air

Force, and Marine Corps;

Whereas the General Accounting Office, the Congressional

Budget Office, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,

the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and

Technology, and several Members of Congress have publicly stated that, given the current Department of De-
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•SRES 80 IS

fense budget for procurement, the Department of Defense’s plan to buy over 4,400 F/A–18 E/F aircraft, F–

22 aircraft, and Joint Strike Fighter aircraft at a total

program cost in excess of $350,000,000,000 is not affordable;

Whereas the Congressional Budget Office estimates that current tactical aircraft plan of the Department of Defense

could cost as much as $14,000,000,000 to

$18,000,000,000 per fiscal year over the period of fiscal

years 2002 through 2020, not considering inflation, compared to current tactical aircraft funding of about

$2,800,000,000 per fiscal year;

Whereas the Pentagon’s current acquisition strategy would

require at least a 54.9 percent increase in annual procurement spending over the next five years, rising from

$44,100,000,000 in fiscal year 1997 to $68,300,000,000

in fiscal year 2002;

Whereas the F/A–18 E/F, F–22, and the Joint Strike Fighter tactical fighter programs will be competing for a limited amount of procurement funding with numerous other

aircraft acquisition programs, including the Comanche

helicopter program, the V–22 Osprey aircraft program,

and the C–17 aircraft program, as well as for the necessary replacement of other aging aircraft such as the

KC–135, the C–5A, the F–117, and the EA–6B aircraft;

and

Whereas history shows that projection of the Department of

Defense regarding the number of aircraft that it will procure, the rates at which those aircraft will be produced,

and the cost of those aircraft are rarely achieved, and in

fact frequently experience significant cost growth on the

order of 20 to 40 percent: Now, therefore, be it
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•SRES 80 IS

1 Resolved, That—

2 (1) it is the sense of the Senate that the United

3 States cannot afford to carry out all three of the

4 F/A–18 E/F aircraft program, the F–22 aircraft

5 program, and the Joint Strike Fighter aircraft pro6 gram at the proposed acquisition levels;

7 (2) the Department of Defense should reexam8 ine its spending priorities using more realistic as9 sumptions of future spending levels; and

10 (3) the Department of Defense should develop

11 an alternative acquisition strategy that would pro12 vide the United States with an effective, affordable

13 tactical fighter force structure.

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