SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
"Three hundred and twelve operational squadrons is not enough," said the Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson on Monday, saying she wants 70 additional squadrons. "It takes all of us to get that combat power ready and able to fight. A fist is nothing without the weight of the body behind it." (Photo: US Air Force/Twitter)
Trump's Space Force Would Cost $13 Billion and the Air Force Wants 70 New Squadrons, But 'How You Gonna Pay For It?'
When Medicare for All and paid family leave are called "pie in the sky," but the Air Force says its current fleet of 312 squadrons—which cost many billions each—"is not enough"
Sep 18, 2018
When it comes to progressive proposals aimed at social well-being, the associated costs are always the first explanation for why such efforts are either unrealistic "pie in the sky".
Medicare for All. But how you gonna pay for it?
Tuition-free public college. But how you gonna pay for it?
Paid family leave and sick leave. But how you gonna pay for it?
The urgently-needed rapid and just transition to 100 percent renewable energy? But how you gonna pay for it?
Meanwhile, news outlets reported Tuesday that President Donald Trump's so-called "Space Force"--if approved--would require $13 billion in funding over its first five years alone and word from the U.S. Air Force on Monday was that it wants to acquire an additional 70 squadrons--which would include scores of new aircraft--in the coming years.
According to Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson, her branch of the military intends to grow its fighting force by nearly 25 percent in the coming years. That would include:
5 additional bomber squadrons
7 more fighter squadrons
7 additional space squadrons
14 more tanker squadrons
7 special operations squadrons
9 nine combat search-and-rescue squadrons
22 squadrons that conduct command and control, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance
2 remotely piloted aircraft squadrons
1 more airlift squadron
In her comments to attendees at the annual Air Force Association Air, Space and Cyber Conference outside Washington, D.C. on Monday, Wilson said that while the Air Force already has 312 active squadrons operating around the globe, the U.S. empire would be more powerful and effective if they havd more. "Three hundred and twelve operational squadrons is not enough," she said. "It takes all of us to get that combat power ready and able to fight. A fist is nothing without the weight of the body behind it."
Wilson added that the Air Force was not "naive" about the scale of their ambition and characterized the decision to expand as "a choice" they were making.
"Right now the Air Force spends about $53 [billion] per year on aircraft operations, training, and recruiting," tweeted Todd Harrison, director of the Aerospace Security Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, during Wilson's speech. "Increasing the number of squadrons by [roughly] 24 [percent] would probably add another $13 [billion] per year in these operating costs."
Strikingly, $13 billion was the same name figure, according to the Associated Press, that the Pentagon believes the Space Force program will need to get off the ground.
"The memo says the first-year cost of a Space Force would be $3.3 billion," AP reports, "and the cost over five years would be an estimated $12.9 billion."
As Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the Democratic congressional candidate from New York, tweeted last month:
That this remains the pattern is not news. And yet, it's worth repeating.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
When it comes to progressive proposals aimed at social well-being, the associated costs are always the first explanation for why such efforts are either unrealistic "pie in the sky".
Medicare for All. But how you gonna pay for it?
Tuition-free public college. But how you gonna pay for it?
Paid family leave and sick leave. But how you gonna pay for it?
The urgently-needed rapid and just transition to 100 percent renewable energy? But how you gonna pay for it?
Meanwhile, news outlets reported Tuesday that President Donald Trump's so-called "Space Force"--if approved--would require $13 billion in funding over its first five years alone and word from the U.S. Air Force on Monday was that it wants to acquire an additional 70 squadrons--which would include scores of new aircraft--in the coming years.
According to Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson, her branch of the military intends to grow its fighting force by nearly 25 percent in the coming years. That would include:
5 additional bomber squadrons
7 more fighter squadrons
7 additional space squadrons
14 more tanker squadrons
7 special operations squadrons
9 nine combat search-and-rescue squadrons
22 squadrons that conduct command and control, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance
2 remotely piloted aircraft squadrons
1 more airlift squadron
In her comments to attendees at the annual Air Force Association Air, Space and Cyber Conference outside Washington, D.C. on Monday, Wilson said that while the Air Force already has 312 active squadrons operating around the globe, the U.S. empire would be more powerful and effective if they havd more. "Three hundred and twelve operational squadrons is not enough," she said. "It takes all of us to get that combat power ready and able to fight. A fist is nothing without the weight of the body behind it."
Wilson added that the Air Force was not "naive" about the scale of their ambition and characterized the decision to expand as "a choice" they were making.
"Right now the Air Force spends about $53 [billion] per year on aircraft operations, training, and recruiting," tweeted Todd Harrison, director of the Aerospace Security Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, during Wilson's speech. "Increasing the number of squadrons by [roughly] 24 [percent] would probably add another $13 [billion] per year in these operating costs."
Strikingly, $13 billion was the same name figure, according to the Associated Press, that the Pentagon believes the Space Force program will need to get off the ground.
"The memo says the first-year cost of a Space Force would be $3.3 billion," AP reports, "and the cost over five years would be an estimated $12.9 billion."
As Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the Democratic congressional candidate from New York, tweeted last month:
That this remains the pattern is not news. And yet, it's worth repeating.
When it comes to progressive proposals aimed at social well-being, the associated costs are always the first explanation for why such efforts are either unrealistic "pie in the sky".
Medicare for All. But how you gonna pay for it?
Tuition-free public college. But how you gonna pay for it?
Paid family leave and sick leave. But how you gonna pay for it?
The urgently-needed rapid and just transition to 100 percent renewable energy? But how you gonna pay for it?
Meanwhile, news outlets reported Tuesday that President Donald Trump's so-called "Space Force"--if approved--would require $13 billion in funding over its first five years alone and word from the U.S. Air Force on Monday was that it wants to acquire an additional 70 squadrons--which would include scores of new aircraft--in the coming years.
According to Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson, her branch of the military intends to grow its fighting force by nearly 25 percent in the coming years. That would include:
5 additional bomber squadrons
7 more fighter squadrons
7 additional space squadrons
14 more tanker squadrons
7 special operations squadrons
9 nine combat search-and-rescue squadrons
22 squadrons that conduct command and control, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance
2 remotely piloted aircraft squadrons
1 more airlift squadron
In her comments to attendees at the annual Air Force Association Air, Space and Cyber Conference outside Washington, D.C. on Monday, Wilson said that while the Air Force already has 312 active squadrons operating around the globe, the U.S. empire would be more powerful and effective if they havd more. "Three hundred and twelve operational squadrons is not enough," she said. "It takes all of us to get that combat power ready and able to fight. A fist is nothing without the weight of the body behind it."
Wilson added that the Air Force was not "naive" about the scale of their ambition and characterized the decision to expand as "a choice" they were making.
"Right now the Air Force spends about $53 [billion] per year on aircraft operations, training, and recruiting," tweeted Todd Harrison, director of the Aerospace Security Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, during Wilson's speech. "Increasing the number of squadrons by [roughly] 24 [percent] would probably add another $13 [billion] per year in these operating costs."
Strikingly, $13 billion was the same name figure, according to the Associated Press, that the Pentagon believes the Space Force program will need to get off the ground.
"The memo says the first-year cost of a Space Force would be $3.3 billion," AP reports, "and the cost over five years would be an estimated $12.9 billion."
As Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the Democratic congressional candidate from New York, tweeted last month:
That this remains the pattern is not news. And yet, it's worth repeating.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.