Senators have wasted precious little time in attempting to thwart Air Force plans to draw down the B-52 fleet, passing an amendment to the Fiscal 2007 defense budget request that would add nearly $2 billion over the next five years for the venerable bombers. The two Democratic Senators from North Dakota—Byron Dorgan and Kent Conrad—announced the amendment (co-sponsored by the Louisiana Senate delegation), saying in a joint statement that the B-52s at Minot AFB, N.D., and Barksdale AFB, La., are “still a tremendous asset for our military because they are cost-effective to maintain.” They noted, too, that USAF believes the old bombers have up to 30 more years of life left in them. According to Conrad, the B-52 is the “best bomb truck for the buck.”
The United States Air Force is flying less than historic norms and funding for acquisition and readiness is on a path to further hollow out this too small and old force to that is incapable of sustaining an enduring combat air campaign.
