Defense Cuts and the Crisis of Modernization
As the defense spending debate continues, interested observers would do well to consult Karen Walker’s article in this April’s edition of Armed Forces Journal (“Helo, Goodbye’). President Obama’s proposal last week for $400 billion in defense cuts- on top of more than $400 billion in cuts made to the Pentagon since his January 2009 inauguration- puts in question the extent of future defense spending. The moral imperative of providing for troops currently in harm’s way will doubtless weigh on debates in the coming weeks, and rightly so: the President’s efforts to slash defense spending while extending American military commitments is deeply irresponsible. Still, last week’s speech touches on another subject: funding for recapitalization projects that will affect future generations of our all-volunteer armed forces. Often lost in the defense spending debate is the growing need for recapitalization and modernization of critical defense platforms, from Bradley fighting vehicles to long-range bombers. Walker’s paper, which examines the state of the American helicopter fleet, is instructive in this regard. Although exploring only one of many areas in need of modernization, Walker gives a sense of the scale of the challenge facing our military.
Walker begins her article with the case of the OH-58 Kiowa, introduced in 1969 and “now the Army’s highest-demand rotary aircraft, flying more than 90 hours a month.” The Kiowa’s ‘tour of duty’ will continue for years to come, with modified versions in service through 2025. Other helicopters will also soon be in need of replacement: the CH-47 Chinook, the AH-47 Apache and the UH-60 Black Hawk are all set for retirement between 2035 and 2040. These systems have been cornerstones of American efforts in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere. Given the long timescale for procurement programs to reach maturity, questions of modernization are increasingly urgent.
As Walker explains, the challenge for the Army’s helicopter fleet goes farther still. Decisions to modify extant models- rather than invest in next-generation versions- have combined with the decision to terminate the RAH-Commanche in 2004 to shrink the helicopter production base. Absent significant capital input, the production base is simply too small for a new line of next-generation helicopters. Thus, decisions intended to save money in the short-term will, unfortunately, require greater investment for future systems.
In sum, we face a long-deferred need to replace platforms at a moment of budgetary crisis in Washington. Just as looming fiscal insolvency is the product of sequential decisions in Washington to expand the scope and role of the federal government, so too is the recapitalization and modernization crisis the result of political choices. From the Clinton “peace dividend” onward, administrations have found convenience in cutting modernization programs and shifting funds to domestic projects. But, as President Reagan found upon his arrival in Washington, cuts to modernization can only last so long in a dangerous world. Congressional decisions in the post-Vietnam era to strip funding from the armed forces were corrected in the Reagan years in the face of assertive enemies. Let us hope that, as the budget debate unfolds, today’s elected officials will show similar prudence and political courage amid an uncertain and increasingly inhospitable global landscape.
