The Air Force wants $7 billion for fighter recapitalization at Elmendorf — but Alaska's military investments are riding on a partisan bill senators don't think will pass

The Air Force's $338.8 billion budget request for fiscal year 2027 includes nearly $7 billion for fighter recapitalization at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson — but a significant portion of the broader Alaska-relevant funding, including half the F-35 program and key spare parts, has been routed through a partisan reconciliation bill that senators on both sides say is unlikely to pass.

That structural choice was the dominant theme at a Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee hearing Tuesday. Chairman Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, criticized the Air Force for putting "core pieces of the President's defense agenda, like multiyear procurement contracts for critical munitions, half of the F-35 program, Golden Dome, and DROME dominance initiatives" into one-off reconciliation spending rather than base appropriations. "It's also a recipe for major disruptions in the very possible event that party-line reconciliation fails," McConnell said, adding flatly: "I think it's safe to conclude there will not be another reconciliation bill. So it's really not an option." Ranking Member Chris Coons, D-Delaware, agreed.

For Alaska, the stakes are concrete. The investments at risk if reconciliation fails include readiness funding, spare parts, and munitions that flow to JBER (home of the 3rd Wing's F-22s) and Eielson Air Force Base (home of the F-35A force). Weapon systems sustainment funding rises to over $24 billion under the request, with flying hours at nearly $10 billion — directly affecting training tempo for the aircraft based at both Alaska installations.

Air Force Secretary Troy Meink told senators that without reconciliation or another funding mechanism, "F-35 readiness, unmanned investments, and munitions procurement would be substantially impacted."

Sen. Lisa Murkowski raised the Alaska-specific investments. Chief of Staff Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach defended the Elmendorf investment in strategic terms, citing the "strategic location that Alaska is — where you can get those jets anywhere in the Northern Hemisphere in about 9 hours of flying time."

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, illustrated the risk with one specific number: of the $154 million request for the F-35 engine's power thermal management upgrade, only $10 million is in the base budget. "I would just suggest that it is taking a terrible risk and creates instability when you're counting on a third reconciliation bill for the bulk of the money rather than doing base funding through the defense appropriations bill," Collins said.