Air Force Secretary: 'No regrets' on retiring A-10

The Hill ^ | Kristina Wong

[DUMBGRUNT]

Air Force Secretary Deborah James said she has no regrets about attempting to retire the A-10 fighter jet, despite its current use in the war against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

[Mr Rogers]

She has ZERO qualifications to be US Air Force Secretary. Makes her perfect for the job under the Big Oh.

[Nachum]

The list, Ping

Let me know if you would like to be on or off the ping list

http://www.nachumlist.com/

[FlingWingFlyer]

Little Debbie thinks we don’t need the A-10. Isn’t that special. This is one former aeroscout who believes that we do. You haven’t lived until you’ve watched A-10s working over a bunch of enemy tanks and other armored vehicles.

[jz638]

In a just world, any Air Force officer associated with the F-35 fighter program who didn’t urge it’s cancellation would be tried before a court marshal.
E
Also in that just world, SecDef Allen West would allocate the CAS mission fully to the Army, transferring the Warthogs to a Branch of service that wanted them to stick around.

[tumblindice]

My uncle, a WWII B-17 pilot, like to roll empty beer cans down the aisle when transporting civilian passengers.

I suspect Secretary Debbie would fail to see the humor, has no idea who Hans-Ulrich Rudel was or what he and his Junkets Stuka did to Soviet armor with 2.97” pod cannon.

[Pelham]

https://www.facebook.com/savethea10

[USNBandit]

Yes, but those F-35s will be redesignated as frigates.

[Leaning Right]

I suspect Secretary Debbie would fail to see the humor, has no idea who Hans-Ulrich Rudel was

Interestingly enough, the original designers of the A-10 were required to read Rudel's biography, "Stuka Pilot".

[Mark17]

Will she use that money to recruit transgender, lesbian and Islamic pilots?

I am sure that is true. Seriously, about Muslim pilots. I was at Laughlin AFB, pilot training base. We had Iranian Air Force student pilots learning to fly. The instructor pilots I knew, all said these Muslims couldn't fly airplanes to save their rear ends. I doubt much has changed. The Iranians couldn't even best the Iraqis in the Iran/Iraq war, and you saw how the Iraqi Air Force was blown out of the sky by USAF and USN pilots. I doubt the Iranians would fare well against US pilots either.

[matthew fuller]

That’s a large part of the problem. Has Obama ever chosen anyone that is not faggot/lesbian/freak?

[Riley]

My uncle, a WWII B-17 pilot, like to roll empty beer cans down the aisle when transporting civilian passengers.

I'd have made my way to the cockpit and asked for a cold one.

[headstamp 2]

“Yes, but those F-35s will be redesignated as frigates.”

As in “F”-35

(grin)

[PLMerite]

"As in “F”-35"

Look, here's one of them now!

[Doug Loss]

As a former army grunt, let me say this for the entire US Army: if you zoomies don't want the A-10s anymore, we'll be happy to take them off your hands. We know they offend you, since they're not involved with shooting at other planes, but we find them pretty awesome.

Now knowing that we'd take them in a heartbeat might make you clutch them tighter, since it just wouldn't do for you to lose any fixed-wing assets to a service that actually WANTS them.

[fini]

I looked at her bio and I remembered something that happened when she was in charge of Reserve Affairs. She was famous for asking questions that were "hard to answer, but of no importance."

The Marine Corps was having some long lead times getting some repair parts for the Harrier jet. Nothing unusual, some parts have to be made as needed.

She randomly picked some part numbers and asked what they were. Somehow I got tasked to research the parts. This occurred in the days before the internet was mature, so I spent a day doing the research: finding an aviation maintenance officer, getting the reference material, double checking the part numbers and then writing up the report.

So basically her management style was to waste subordinates' time asking stupid questions.

[dalereed]

take the A-10 away from the Air Force and give it to the Marines where it will be appreciated!

[fini]

The Marines cannot use the A-10, because it cannot be made to fly off an aircraft carrier (non-rigid airframe). In the 90s, the Marine Corps tried real hard to find a way to adopt it, but the modifications required compromised it finer qualities. It is the only aircraft, that I have heard of, that the Marine Corps seriously considered waiving the aircraft carrier requirement.

[GreyHoundSailor]

Mabus already said today the Little Crappy Ships (LCS) will be Frigates.

[exit82]

That’s a man, baby.

[PCPOET7]

I can support the retirement of the warthog but only if there is a next generation replacement for the equipment. I remember in the gulf war one and two that these Plaines were the work horse of military close ground support and the military brass loved them because they could take a lot of combat damage and still fly and they also were a cheap weapon system to produce.