In a meeting with the combined Legislative Affairs committees of the Davis and Ogden/Weber Chambers of Commerce, last week, he said “we need 381 F-22s to stay at status quo” in terms of air defense needs.
A “minimum of 243” should be maintained, while he called the 187 being called for now “a political number. That is how many have been built so far.”
“We can’t meet basic needs” with such production levels, Bishop said in the meeting held at the Weber State University Davis campus, here.
“Some people are saying the F-22 is posh. But it’s about the future of this country,” beyond jobs at Hill, said the representative, whose district includes all of Davis County and the base.
Hill is not slated to host a large number of jobs directly related to the F-22 – some sources put it at 100 – but Bishop focused his remarks more on defense needs than protecting local jobs.
Citing 30 studies conducted on air superiority, the former Box Elder High School history teacher compared the defense situation to the years prior to World War II.
“In the 1930s, when we had the P-35, they (defense officials) said we didn’t need it. As a result, 25 percent of the bomber runs were casualty rates, and we had two war fronts that hadn’t been planned for,” he said.
“We can’t make that mistake again. We have had (world) air superiority since the Korean Conflict, where our men on the ground haven’t had to look over their shoulder” for fear of inferior air defense, Bishop said.
“The F-22 gives us that air superiority,” he continued, citing war games with India some years ago. “It was a tie. The only superiority was in our pilots, but technologically, our numbers are not superior” any longer, he said.
“We have 30 to 40-year old F-15s and F-16s. The F-22 puts us ahead technologically. We were going to do 750 F-22s, now apparently we will stop at 187,” the Kaysville native said.
Noting it’s “logical” for the still coming F-35s to be serviced at Hill, Bishop emphasized “they are not a replacement for the F-22. They need to work together” to the nation’s defense, he said.
“We are taking 250 Legacy aircraft out, and the F-35s won’t be on line until 2014, at the earliest,” Bishop said. “They are taking the old aircraft out now.
“For the remaining planes, there are still as many sorties (as before). They call it a budget-cutting exercise, but this is not the area they need to be cheap in.”
Speaking of the potential cut in HAFB 388th/419th Fighter Wings squadrons from three to two, he said “they can’t work out of the same planes” when 24 could be taken out of commission, there.
“Everybody (Congress, etc.) is saying the F-22 is a Cold War relic,” Bishop said. “That’s a bunch of crap. He noted that the Russians have or are due to sell 200-300 fighters to such countries as Venezuela and Iran.
“There is a potential conflict around us, and we’ve taken (some of our own) planes out,” he said.
“It’s all driven by (Defense Secretary Robert) Gates,” Bishop said. “The draw down could mean 700 to 800 jobs lost” at Hill.
“This (current plan) will also cut our missile defense, our solid rockets., cutting from 44 to 30 silos. The other silos are already dug.”
Bishop also decried a $60 billion cut in research and development programs, saying, “we are underfunded.”
tbusselberg@davisclipper.com
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