Rep. Ruben Gallego Statement on Plan to Delay A-10 Warthog Retirement until 2022
Washington, D.C. – Defense Secretary announced Tuesday that the Pentagon will delay plans to retire the A-10 Warthog until 2022. The last two budget requests from the Administration called for the retirement of the entire A-10 fleet.
Rep. Ruben Gallego released the following statement:
“While I’m glad to hear that the Pentagon has decided to keep the A-10 Warthog flying until 2022, this is still too early to retire a plane that has immeasurable value to our U.S. troops on the ground. We recently invested about $1 billion to upgrade the fleet in order to keep it in service until 2028, and we should be certain that we have a fully viable replacement for this aircraft before we send it into retirement.
“The A-10 plays a crucial role in our military strategy in the Middle East and around the world and is a key part of our current approach to combat the threat of ISIS. As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, I was proud to vote to preserve funding for the A-10 Warthog. I will continue to fight to preserve this aircraft until we have developed a suitable alternative.”