15 JUL 1999

Honorable C.W. Bill Young
Chairman
Committee on Appropriations
U.S. House of Representatives
H-218, U.S. Capitol
Washington, DC 20515-6015

Dear Mr. Chairman:

I was dismayed to learn about the House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee's mark last Monday that cut $1.8 billion in procurement funding for the F-22 aircraft. The Department of Defense cannot accept this decision. This decision, if enacted would for all practical purposes kill the F-22 program, the cornerstone of our nation's global air power in the 21st century.

For fifty years every American soldier has gone to war confident that the United States had air superiority. Canceling the F-22 means we cannot guarantee air superiority in future conflicts. It would also have a significant impact on the viability of the Joint Strike Fighter program. The F-22 will enable the Joint Strike Fighter to carry out its primary strike mission. The JSF was not designed for the air superiority mission and redesigning it to do so will dramatically increase the cost. An upgraded F-15 will not provide this dominance and will cost essentially the same as the F-22 program.

I know the difficult budget environment the Congress has to deal with these days. I  support your efforts to give our nation the best possible defense at an affordable cost. However I believe the nation's defense requires the F-22. The proposed cut jeopardizes our future warfighting capability and will place our forces at higher risk.

I pledge my strongest effort to ensure the program will be delivered within the cost caps that we've agreed to with the Congress. I am confident the Department has the proper management controls to ensure the success of the F-22 program. As always, I would be pleased to discuss these matters with you at any time. But I must tell you that I cannot accept a defense bill that kills this cornerstone program.

Sincerely,

(signed) Bill Cohen