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Air Force One and Trump’s Vision of Military Power
American Thinker ^ | John Smith

Posted on 12/21/2016 6:55:26 AM PST by RoosterRedux

President-elect Trump’s criticism of Boeing and the costs of the new Air Force One aircraft is, I believe, more than just political theater. If there is anything his business experience has taught Mr. Trump, it’s that getting the most bang for the buck while meeting performance standards is paramount in any successful venture. Trump has said he intends to make AF1 cheaper. Consider that AF1 is essentially a flying command and control node. If communications and other digitized systems are up to speed, then using more standard components in a proven aircraft would result in a significant cost savings while retaining a high percentage of performance.

In a larger sense, I think Trump is signaling his view of military power, that is, a robust industrial capability is the key component of our warfighting ability.

*snip*

If Trump’s approach to AF1 is any indicator, the same principles could apply to our defense industry, which is in dire need of some business sense. Currently, it is a group of patronage businesses in thrall to a military procurement system geared to satisfying the whims of politicians for home district jobs -- even if the weapon system is fragile in the field, flawed, unneeded, too costly, or all four. This has resulted in too few near-perfect weapons systems (e.g., the F-35), manned by too few soldiers, which are be led by low, no-risk leaders for their never ending war. It also enables lefty politicians to claim their pro-defense credentials (see John Murtha).

The uniformed military leadership shares responsibility for this situation. Steeped in the false promises of fourth generation warfare and info dominance, it has substituted a bloated and rudderless intelligence apparatus and unproven technology for combined arms combat power.

(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: aerospace; boeing; military; trump; trumptransition
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1 posted on 12/21/2016 6:55:26 AM PST by RoosterRedux
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To: hoosiermama; onyx; Jane Long; V K Lee; RitaOK; Black Agnes; PennsylvaniaMom; Fai Mao; Fiddlstix; ...

Ping


2 posted on 12/21/2016 6:56:29 AM PST by RoosterRedux
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To: RoosterRedux
Boeing should be allowed to make a reasonable profit from their operations...including the building of a new Air Force One.Nothing more,nothing less.
3 posted on 12/21/2016 6:59:30 AM PST by Gay State Conservative (Deplorables' Lives Matter)
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To: RoosterRedux

Why does AF-1 have to be a heavy jet, wouldn’t it make more sense to have a small fast jet that can accommodate perhaps 2 dozen people and the rest can be spread out using hi tech coms?


4 posted on 12/21/2016 7:00:04 AM PST by 1Old Pro
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To: RoosterRedux

I am SO looking forward to our new CIC leading our military. In some ways, thankfully, it’s as though he already is ;-)


5 posted on 12/21/2016 7:01:53 AM PST by Jane Long (Praise God, from whom ALL blessings flow!)
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To: Jane Long

On that note, have you seen this?:

Ratings restored: Effective immediately, sailors will get their job titles back
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3506790/posts

And you are correct.


6 posted on 12/21/2016 7:06:17 AM PST by FreedomPoster (Islam delenda est)
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To: 1Old Pro

I don’t think that speed is best, staying power as in time aloft would be more advantages. IMHO


7 posted on 12/21/2016 7:09:28 AM PST by SkyDancer (Abition Without Talent Is Sad, Talent Without Ambition Is Worse)
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To: SkyDancer

Maybe a fat boy for international travel and a slim, nimble one for stateside... I think far more foreign heads will be traveling to DJT than vice versa.

Give the ‘press’ a web-cam to monitor the old AF1 press pit from their coach seat flying commercial.


8 posted on 12/21/2016 7:13:48 AM PST by txhurl (Chode: a word about taglines)
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To: Jane Long

“I am SO looking forward to our new CIC leading our military.”

And high time too. Morale amongst the ranks has been mighty low these past 8 years.


9 posted on 12/21/2016 7:14:10 AM PST by Paulie (America without Christ is like a Chemistry book without the periodic table.)
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To: 1Old Pro

Yep, shouldn’t AF1 be supersonic? Time is money.


10 posted on 12/21/2016 7:14:10 AM PST by glorgau
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To: SkyDancer
I don’t think that speed is best, staying power as in time aloft would be more advantages. IMHO

Good point, we should have kept the shuttle :)

11 posted on 12/21/2016 7:15:43 AM PST by 1Old Pro
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To: 1Old Pro

“Why does AF-1 have to be a heavy jet, wouldn’t it make more sense to have a small fast jet that can accommodate perhaps 2 dozen people and the rest can be spread out using hi tech coms?”

Everything big enough to carry two dozen people is subsonic, like the 747 which cruises about 0.85 Mach. The Gulfstream G650 cruises about 0.92 Mach. The newest Boeing, the 787, also cruises about 0.85 Mach

Endurance, room for lots of support personnel, comm gear and ECM (Electronic Counter Measures) gear make the 747 a good platform.


12 posted on 12/21/2016 7:19:07 AM PST by BwanaNdege ("The church ... is not the master or the servant of the state, but the conscience" - Luther)
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To: 1Old Pro

0bammie should have used it to get to his Hawaiian vacation, maybe he’d still be in orbit. :)


13 posted on 12/21/2016 7:20:32 AM PST by SkyDancer (Abition Without Talent Is Sad, Talent Without Ambition Is Worse)
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To: 1Old Pro

The sheer amount of comms equipment that follows the President everywhere precludes a small jet. Both on space required AND power needed.

Now, mind you, you could use a SMALLER jet, get rid of the press seating, etc.


14 posted on 12/21/2016 7:20:45 AM PST by Salgak (You're in Strange Hands with Tom Stranger. . . .)
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To: BwanaNdege

I remember as a kid in Houston the mach-busting jets overhead freaking out all the expensive fish in the elaborate aquariums 2-3X/day.

If DJT popped sonic booms all around DC and NYC, the press would go haywire with it :)


15 posted on 12/21/2016 7:24:46 AM PST by txhurl (Chode: a word about taglines)
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To: BwanaNdege

Still waiting for that Escape Pod....


16 posted on 12/21/2016 7:26:01 AM PST by treetopsandroofs (Had FDR been GOP, there would have been no World Wars, just "The Great War" and "Roosevelt's Wars".)
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To: Paulie

Bless them. I wonder if they’re all (mostly, hopefully) thinking....help is on the way!!


17 posted on 12/21/2016 7:26:02 AM PST by Jane Long (Praise God, from whom ALL blessings flow!)
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To: Jane Long

I can tell you they are. Most are by nature not particularly talkative, but there’s an underlying current of optimism there; a ‘spring in their step’, if I can put it that way, not seen in quite some time.

I shudder to think what the mood would have been if Hillary had been CIC.


18 posted on 12/21/2016 7:38:44 AM PST by Paulie (America without Christ is like a Chemistry book without the periodic table.)
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To: Salgak

The press should travel on its own dime.


19 posted on 12/21/2016 7:41:15 AM PST by bigbob (We have better coverage than Verizon - Can You Hear Us Now?)
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To: RoosterRedux

Seems to mirror my thoughts on the AR/M4/M16 platform for our armed forces.

Great technology, cutting edge really. If Aliens invade, we are one step closer to whatever weaponry they might possess.

But in the WWI/WWII theaters the soldier lacked the supply chain that is necessary with the M4. Other fighting forces around the world also lack that supply chain, and because of this they go with more hearty weapon systems that are proven, reliable and sturdy.

There is no reason that we should keep using Pencils instead of Fisher Space pens, but we do always need to give a nod to the fact that you can take down a tree with the butt plate of an SKS while still storing your cleaning / cooking kit in the stock wrapped inside of a fabric map.


20 posted on 12/21/2016 8:13:06 AM PST by Celerity
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