The Air Force’s Fiscal 2016 budget proposal once again attempts to divest the A-10 fleet, even though Congress has thus far adamantly refused to allow the service to do so. “During Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom, the A-10 aircraft accomplished only 20 percent of all [close air support] missions,” states a budget document released on Monday. “Additionally, the A-10 does not possess the necessary survivability to remain viable in anti-access environments.” Unlike previous budgets, however, the Fiscal 2016 budget proposes a phased end to the storied aircraft. The Air Force hopes to divest 164 A-10s in Fiscal 2016, including all 143 of the Active Duty component’s Warthogs and 21 of the Air National Guard’s aircraft. That would leave 64 A-10s in the ANG and 55 in Air Force Reserve Command. The Air Force would then keep these remaining A-10s “operational and available for deployment through 2019,” according to the document, the Air Force Fiscal 2016 Budget Overview (caution; large-sized file).
The U.S. began extensive air and artillery strikes against Islamic State group targets in Syria on Dec. 19 in retaliation for the killing of three Americans on Dec. 13 by a gunman affiliated with ISIS, U.S. officials said.
