WASHINGTON   –  U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson (MO-08), a member of the House Appropriations Committee, today helped add language to the FY 2009 Supplemental Appropriations bill which urges the Department of Defense to develop a multi-year procurement program for the F/A-18 program.  The Committee language identifies anticipated shortfalls in Navy tactical aircraft.

The measure was adopted, with Emerson’s support, during Committee consideration of the supplemental funding legislation this morning, which also includes funds for U.S. operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. 

“The F/A-18 is an integral part of our military readiness.  I’m very glad to have this committee on record early in the process,” Emerson said.  “It’s non-controversial, and it means the good work of American workers who provide state-of-the-art airplanes to the U.S. military should continue.”

Emerson considered the addition of F/A-18 language necessary given the Department of Defense’s limited plans to fund only a limited number of F/A-18 aircraft in FY 2010, with no indication of any procurement plans for following years.

“A single-year commitment to just a few F/A-18 planes is insufficient,” she said, “when the expected strike-fighter shortfall may be 200 planes or more.”

In addition to its strong support for continuation of the F/A-18 program, the Supplemental Appropriations bill also includes $2,245,200,000 for the C-17 Globemaster aircraft program.

“The Committee sent a clear message today that we believe in the F/A-18 and C-17 airplanes, that we want them to remain at the core of the Department of Defense’s mission, and that we are putting to rest any discussion of whether Congress supports the programs.  It would have been a serious oversight to approve out of the Committee a measure centered on support for American men and women in uniform without addressing the F/A-18 and the C-17,” Emerson said.  “We need these proven, reliable planes in the service of the U.S. military.”

Emerson said she will oppose any efforts to remove the language from the bill as it continues under consideration in Congress and will continue tracking the F/A-18 and C-17 procurement issues in the FY 2010 Defense Appropriations process.

The language adopted by the House Appropriations Committee today reads as follows:

<i>The Committee believes the Department of Defense and the Congress must seriously come to grips with the looming shortfall in Navy tactical aircraft.  Last year, the fiscal year 2009 defense appropriations conference report noted the Navy faced a growing strike fighter shortfall due to the aging of the tactical aircraft fleet and the fact that the D-35 Joint Strike Fighter program will not begin to deliver carrier aircraft in significant quantities for years to come.  At that time the Navy identified a shortfall of approximately 69 aircraft.  Thus, the conference report encouraged the Navy to budget for a third multi-year procurement of F-18 aircraft beginning in fiscal year 2010.

More recent analysis has identified a Department of the Navy strike fighter shortfall in excess of 200 aircraft.  Unfortunately the Navy plans to fund the procurement of only nine F-18 aircraft in fiscal year 2010, with no indication given as to its outyear plans.  The Committee believes that the most cost-effective approach to address the Navy’s tactical fighter shortfall is to purchase additional F-18 aircraft under a multi-year procurement program.  Moreover, the Committee is concerned by the Department’s apparent lack of a plan for maintaining a sufficiently robust domestic strike fighter industrial base on the near term.  Accordingly, the Committee encourages the Department of Defense to continue to explore initiating an F-18 aircraft multi-year program as soon as possible to mitigate the strike fighter shortfall.</i>