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House proposal would block A-10 retirement, add funding

Rep. Mac Thornberry proposed an extra $682.7 million in funding for the A-10 in a draft of the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2016.

By Fred Lambert
An A-10 Warthog performs aerial maneuvers over the beaches of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., on May 6, 2007 during the annual McDonald's Air and Sea Show. On Monday, April 27, 2015, the head of the House Armed Services Committee issued a draft proposal of the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2016, suggesting more than $600 million in additional funding for the A-10 and calling efforts to retire the platform "misguided." File photo by Joe Marino-Bill Cantrell/UPI
An A-10 Warthog performs aerial maneuvers over the beaches of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., on May 6, 2007 during the annual McDonald's Air and Sea Show. On Monday, April 27, 2015, the head of the House Armed Services Committee issued a draft proposal of the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2016, suggesting more than $600 million in additional funding for the A-10 and calling efforts to retire the platform "misguided." File photo by Joe Marino-Bill Cantrell/UPI | License Photo

WASHINGTON, April 28 (UPI) -- The head of the House Armed Services Committee proposed an extra $682.7 million for the A-10 Warthog on Monday, saying efforts to retire the platform were "misguided."

The remarks came from a fact sheet accompanying a draft of the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2016, which was released by Rep. Mac Thornberry, R-Texas, Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee.

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"Rigorous oversight, endorsements from soldiers and Marines about the protection only the A-10 can provide, and repeated deployments in support of [Operation Inherent Resolve] have persuaded Chairman Thornberry and many members from both parties that the budget-driven decision to retire the A-10 is misguided," the fact sheet read.

The Air Force has in the past argued for retirement of the A-10, saying the platform was too expensive and slow in "contested environments."

Speaking in February at the Air Warfare Symposium in Orlando, Fla., Gen. Herbert J. "Hawk" Carlisle, head of Air Combat Command, noted the A-10, which since 2014 has been used against Islamic State forces in Iraq, had also been used in Syria but less so due to the aircraft's limited range and speed.

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At the time Carlisle said the A-10 was "significantly more vulnerable" than other aircraft, such as the F-22, F-15, F-16 and F-18 fighters, in a "contested environment" such as Syria, where earlier this year a Jordanian pilot was forced to crash land before being burned alive by his IS captors.

Monday's proposal includes an extra $682.7 million in funding for the A-10.

"Unlike past efforts to restore the platform, the chairman identifies specific funding to restore personnel, and preserve, modify, and upgrade the A-10 fleet," the fact sheet reads. "With funding secured, the chairman would welcome efforts at markup to prohibit the retirement of the A-10 fleet."

The A-10 has been a focus of controversy as the Air Force has moved toward replacing the decades-old aircraft with the newer F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

Data released earlier this year by the Air Force indicated the A-10 was responsible for the highest number of friendly-fire deaths in history, but a government watchdog group known as the Project On Government Oversight said the figures were inaccurate due to skewed time frames.

POGO accused the Air Force of doctoring the numbers to support the A-10's retirement, but the Air Force argued the data are the most accurate and up-to-date available.

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Lawmakers argue the A-10, production of which brings jobs to their states and districts, saves lives on the battlefield.

The HASC will meet Wednesday morning to consider Thornberry's draft of the NDAA.

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