If Congress approves this then it’s a done deal.
They stuff defense budgets with stuff all the time.
If it’s important they’ll propose an alternative.
I think we can pare back myself but, not in the depth discussed by Hazel.
I also don’t think that is the actual goal
They are proposing a “Floor” and will work up from there, toward their actual goal.
A-10? Sorry, drones can do that job with less risk to pilots, excellent accuracy and results and destroy targets for lower cost per action.
We can provide more drones than other low ceiling assets at a much lower cost and they can support on station much longer than other assets, as well refuel/resupply from basing closer to action .
F-35 should be fully developed and we should begin with the 35already ordered and now pared back to 25.
Personally I’d buy a couple hundred over the next. Three years but, that’s me.
I’d keep pushing our adversaries to play catch up.
2 new subs a year? uhm, minimum.
I think onnthe troop size I’d pare by maybe 20% and hold
I’d develop civilian programs that teach critical and basic skills like that found in CMP so as we go through the years there will be plenty of people with basic skills long before enlistment.
The F-35 seems to be a total crap-ball: all hype and little to support it.* It's touted as a "one size fits all" airframe, which has historically meant "does nothing particularly well". The F-22 on the other hand had a good, clear design-goal: air-superiority.
* It has been plagued with software problems, probably because (a) they insisted on using C++ instead of Ada [there's technical reasons why this matters, but I won't bore you], (b) the "do everything" likely means that there's a lack of real vision in management, (c) "everything's good"-ism [where each level paints a better picture than the one before it, meaning the further you are from the actual problem, the less troublesome it is perceived].
The problem with drones is that they are a great weapon...
Until someone figures out how to cut the control feed, or scramble the electronics, EMP-like. Then, they are just expensive falling rocks in the sky.
Great for low-intensity conflicts, and useless in a high-intensity electronic battlefield.
people with guns in their hands fighting against RPVs will be like men with spears against gatling guns.
CMP skills are not going to be as effective as being able to hack drones’ control uplinks. The IIAF spanked USAF with that drone hijack caper. Better to study hacking into Wifi data channels..