Cost Effective Airlift in the 21st Century
Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information, Federal Services, and International Security
Thursday, September 27, 2007
03:30 PM
To date, the military’s strategic airlift requirements have been met by a mix of 190 C-17 and 111 C-5 aircraft. However, with the fleet aging and decreasing in reliability, the Air Force has undertaken two options for achieving its mission: modernizing C-5s and procuring new C-17s. As the strategic airlift fleet gets older, there is a debate underway about how to sustain airlift capability in a cost-effective manner. Two options are currently on the table: the first is to modernize existing C-5s in order to increase the performance and reliability of the C-5 fleet, and thus enhance the capability; the second option is to retire older C-5s and use the funding to procure newer C-17s. This hearing will comprehensively explore the arguments for and against each option in order to achieve the most cost effective option.
Witnesses
Panel 1
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Sue Payton
[view testimony]
Assistant Secretary for Acquisition
U.S. Air Force
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General Norton A. Schwartz
[view testimony]
Commander
U.S. Transportation Command (TRANSCOM)
Panel 2
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Larry J. McQuien
[view testimony]
Vice President, Business Ventures
Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company
-
Larry J. McQuien
[view testimony]
Vice President, Business Ventures
Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company
-
Christopher Bolkcom
[view testimony]
Specialist in National Defense
Congressional Research Service