The Air Force A-10 fighter, according to the Air Force Chief of Staff, Gen. Mark Welsh, is the best close-air support aircraft in the world, yet he’s determined to retire hundreds of them — the entire fleet — to the desert. Why? The A-10 controversy is actually two stories. The first deals with soldiers’ lives and competing budget priorities. The broader story — the role of the A-10 as the proverbial canary in the coal mine — should command everyone’s attention for what it tells us about the state of political leadership in Washington.
The first A-10 story is about infantrymen and Marines in combat, outnumbered, sometimes desperately in need of close-air support. The low-flying, highly maneuverable and highly survivable A-10 is the ideal aircraft to provide down-in-the-weeds support for ground forces.
A-10 pilots during Operation Desert Storm were credited with destroying an unmatched 4,000 Iraqi tanks, artillery pieces and other military vehicles.
The complete text for this article is available online at The Hill.
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