Here’s what McCain said on the Senate floor: “I oppose the amendment. There has been a mobility capabilities study, which indicates that we have an acceptable number for this capability. We are looking at cuts in defense spending, and there are a lot of tremendous cost overruns. We are looking at rapidly escalating procurement costs. These additional aircraft are not needed. They are not needed today.” The study to which he refers, viewed by many insiders as being highly suspect, said we could get by with 180 C-17s. Maybe McCain knows something not yet vouchsafed to retired Gen. John Handy, who, as commander of Air Mobility Command, declared repeatedly the he needed a minimum of 222 C-17s in order to execute the air mobility mission.
Air Force Munitions Gets Big Boost from Reconciliation
June 28, 2025
Thanks to reconciliation, the fiscal 2026 Air Force budget would get a surge of munitions procurement, but it's not yet clear if the production increase will be sustained. The Air Force revealed the secret AIM-260 air-to-air missile's funding for the first time.