0:48
Chris Coons
21:59 - 22:48
"the administration has at times, um, talked in competing ways, with one breath insisting our current operational tempo is risk-free, and in the next requesting billions for additional vital munitions."
“the administration has at times, um, talked in competing ways, with one breath insisting our current operational tempo is risk-free, and in the next requesting billions for additional vital munitions.”
- Speaker
- Chris Coons
- Timestamp
- 21:59 – 22:48
- Community
- Alaska News
- Captured at
- June 9, 2026
From the transcript
Our F-35s today sit around 56% mission capable, in part due to low spare parts availability. The new F-15EXs are years delayed coming off the production line. The department has been unwilling or unable to speak with clarity on the need to upgrade our aging airborne early warning and control fleet, delaying development and delivery of the new E-7, um, through budget malpractice last year, and I hope we will move forward and resolve that. I also remain concerned about key munitions, particularly given that a large portion of EPIC Fury has been conducted using air-to-ground and air-to-air munitions. Um, the administration has at times, um, talked in competing ways, with one breath insisting our current operational tempo is risk-free, and in the next requesting billions for additional vital munitions.
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