Navy, Marine Leaders Urge No Delay In JSF Program

Time is money, especially when working on a high-priced government contract. Just ask the Navy and Marine Corps, who are warning Congress that every year of delay adds $1 billion to the cost of the Joint Strike Fighter program. Military leaders pleaded with lawmakers not to impose further delays on the aircraft's development. Navy Secretary Gordon England, Adm. Vern Clark, the chief of naval operations, and Gen. Michael Hagee, the Marine Corps commandant, made their case during a hearing of the House Defense Appropriations subcommittee.

England said additional delay would mean the naval services would have to keep flying older aircraft, which are getting increasingly expensive to maintain. "I very much encourage you to keep the program on schedule," he said.

Clark echoed that concern, noting that the one-year delay already initiated "cost me at least $1 billion." He noted that the early model Navy F/A-18 Hornets that the JSF would replace are getting old and their operating costs increase 13-20 percent each year.

"Those costs will impact my ability to transform the Navy," Clark said.

In addition to the concern of program delays, the military officials also strongly defended the short takeoff and vertical landing -- or STOVL -- version of the proposed fighter, which is intended primarily for the Marines.

Rep. Randy (Duke) Cunningham, (R-CA), a former Navy fighter pilot, said he was concerned that the JSF was not advanced enough to outfight the best Russian-made fighters. And he suggested it would be cheaper if the program were limited to just the conventional aircraft, designed for the Air Force, and the carrier version planned for the Navy.

England, a former aerospace engineer and executive, said the JSF "is designed for future threats and is definitely superior to anything we have today." And he said the STOVL version was considered "vitally important," not just by the naval services but also the defense secretary's staff.

FMI: www.jsf.mil