America's New Tanker: Needed Now

In today's Orlando Sentinel (Fla.) newspaper, Richard Burnett reports the US Air Force's tanker replacement program, not long ago dominating the news, seems to have all but virtually disappeared. He raises the valid question as to whether a tanker replacement fleet will ever be built.>> Curiously, John Pike, president of GobalSecurity.org, a defense research firm, was quoted in Burnett's story as stating, "Frankly, I hope the tanker deal is one thing that does not survive the transition." Also, Pike was reported to have said, "Basically, there's really nothing wrong with the existing KC-135 tankers, and any case for replacing them is completely made up.">> Pike's views are in stark contrast to those of the US Air Force commander responsible for Air Mobility. As was noted last week, the website DefPro daily reported General Arthur J. Lichte as stating, "As a nation, we're overdue on building new tankers" and "Without tankers, our resupply aircraft and humanitarian relief materials cannot always reach their destinations. Without tankers, we cannot move our wounded warriors non-stop from the battlefield to the U.S. for the medical care they need.">> To be perfectly clear, General Lichte does not express a preference between the Northrop Grumman and Boeing tanker offerings - but his words should carry great weight given the pending arrival of a new administration and the opening of the 111th Congress. The underlying message is that despite everything that is going on in the world, resolving the tanker issue must be a high priority.