Secretary Gates: 'fighter gaps' not grounded in reality.

• Author: Erwin, Sandra I.
• Position: DEFENSEINSIDER

Defense Secretary Robert Gates has put the Pentagon on notice that there are no sacred cows in the weapons procurement budget: Every program is being scrutinized and the services need to reevaluate their funding priorities, Gates said.

Case in point is the Navy's request for additional Super Hornet fighter jets. Navy officials and congressional backers of Super Hornet manufacturer Boeing have argued that the fleet faces a fighter shortfall of at least 125 aircraft over the next decade because older Hornets will be retired and the new F-35C Joint Strike Fighter is likely to fall behind in the production schedule.

This so-called "fighter gap" is an example of the business-as-usual approach for setting requirements for new weapons systems, according to Gates.

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"Before making claims of...