In the
battle to save the F/A-22, the Air Force and Army are squared off against the Marine Corps and Navy. The Marine Corps is the big opponent. It wants F/A-22 money for its own use, and now, said an insider. The Navy, though less overt, sees F/A-22 as a rival to carrier air, especially in a China scenario. The Army, meanwhile, has come to regard USAF as a reliable battlefield partner, one which does not leave engaged Army units without air cover.
If the Air Force is in line for a big budget bump from President Donald Trump’s proposed $1.5 trillion defense budget in 2027, the head of Air Combat Command said he would make aircraft spare parts his top spending priority—but cautioned that more money to buy parts won’t equal a…


