Unfiltered Chat: Air Force and Space Force in Shutdown Crosshairs
Potential Impacts of a Continuing Resolution on the U.S. Air Force in 2025: Understanding the Potential Challenges Ahead for the Air Force Due to a Continuing Resolution
Here we are again, on the brink of a government shutdown in 2025, and our armed forces - specifically the Air Force and Space Force - are squarely in the crosshairs.
A continuing resolution (CR) proposed by the Republicans, failing to pass in the House, could hinder our defense capabilities for six months. If Congress can't pull it together and approve a spending bill by September 30, we're looking at a shutdown starting October 1.
Now, you might think a CR would just keep spending levels constant and prevent new programs from being started. Simple, right? But no - it's far more insidious than that.
First off, dreaded CRs would hamper promised pay increases for our troops, and that's a real low blow. The halt in nuclear modernization wouldn't make things any rosier, especially in light of potential conflicts with the likes of China or any other pesky nation-state hell-bent on causing trouble.
Moreover, a CR would mean we can't bring in new toys like the high-end munitions, such as the Extended-Range Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile, Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile, and Stand-In Attack Weapon. Missing contract obligations? That'll cost us a cool $400 million - talk about a smack in the wallet!
We can kiss goodbye to the first seven T-7A Red Hawk training jets if a CR extends for three months, delaying production by a full year. And if the CR were to drag on for six? Well, forget any increases in military pay or bonuses for Airmen holding down critical, undermanned career fields.
Don't get too comfortable just yet, because if a CR is still in place come April 30, 2025, federal discretionary spending would automatically be slashed to match caps imposed by the 2023 Fiscal Responsibility Act. That's $15 billionBILLION! down the drain, folks.
We're not just talking about sluggish modernization here. CRs also stand between us and new programs, slowing research and development to a crawl and pausing projects to restore or replace neglected facilities on base. Heck, they even prevent us from launching new efforts, like programs to develop secure tactical communications satellites and "bunker-buster" bombs, designed to penetrate targets deep underground.
Hey, but don't worry about the Space Force when it comes to launching the next National Security Space Launch contract - if there's a CR, forget about it! This contract hires commercial firms to take military satellites and payloads to orbit, and losing it could set us back big time.
If you're thinking that a yearlong CR might slash the budget for major construction projects, you're absolutely spot on! Delays in projects like the Air Force's top priority effort to field a fleet of drone wingmen are just the tip of the iceberg.
Overall, the stakes are high - we need a stable funding environment to keep moving things forward. Without it, we risk stifling modernization and ceding ground to our adversaries. As Air Force Undersecretary Melissa G. Dalton put it, "We need resources aligned and on time." So here's hoping that cooler heads prevail in Congress, or we may find ourselves taking a step back in our quest for technological superiority.
- In the proposed continuing resolution (CR), the Air Force and Space Force face potential hindrances, as they are key components that require constant funding.
- The failed CR could lead to a six-month delay in defense capabilities, including military pay increases and nuclear modernization.
- A CR would potentially halt the procurement of advanced weapons such as the Extended-Range Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile, Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile, and Stand-In Attack Weapon.
- Delayed production of T-7A Red Hawk training jets for three months under a CR could cost up to $400 million.
- If the CR persists until April 30, 2025, it would result in a $15 billion reduction in federal discretionary spending.
- The continued CR could also impede new programs like developing secure tactical communications satellites and advanced bunker-buster bombs, as well as major construction projects, that are critical for military and space capabilities.
