June 20, 2002
The Honorable Curt Weldon,
Chairman
Subcommittee on Procurement
House Armed Services
Committee
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Chairman Weldon:
We write to request your support for
convening a Procurement Subcommittee hearing to review the Services plans for an
Airborne Electronic Attack (AEA) capability to replace the EA-6B Prowler.
As you know, on June 4, the Navy, Air Force,
and Marine Corps briefed Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology
and Logistics Pete Aldridge on their respective plans replace the aging and
fatigued EA-6B Prowler fleet and its mission. In December 2001, the AEA Analysis of
Alternatives (AoA) was released, which stated that AEA is a required capability
to support US forces operating in defended airspace against current and future
threats. While making no specific
recommendations, the AoA did establish a baseline capability equal to the ICAP
III architecture and a need for core and stand-in components to replace the
Prowler. In the coming months, the
Services will finalize their plans as they prepare for their FY 2004 budget
submission.
With this in mind, we believe it essential
that Congress take a close look at the Services’ plans to ensure that the
capabilities and employment of follow-on AEA platforms meet the standards set
forth by the AoA and that they are cost-effective. This will be a major acquisition
decision that will affect the Services budgets for the next 20 years. It may also have a major impact on other
Service and congressional priorities. Congress cannot afford to overlook
this important issue.
I appreciate your consideration of this
request. If you have any questions
or need additional information, please let us know. We look forward to hearing from
you.
Joseph R. Pitts
Member of Congress
Mark Kirk
Member of Congress
Rick Larsen
Member of Congress
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