A behind-the-scenes rift between two Georgia Republicans spilled into the open on Monday after a compromise defense policy bill omitted funding for a new fleet of surveillance aircraft long sought by members of the state's congressional delegation.
U.S. Rep. Austin Scott said money for a new generation of surveillance aircraft known as the E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System, or JSTARS, would have been included in the annual joint House-Senate bill had it not been for U.S. Sen. David Perdue pulling his support, a move the Tifton Republican called a “mistake.”
“Unfortunately, without Senator Perdue’s support on the Conference Committee, the replacement aircraft will not be fielded, forcing a higher risk to our men and women in uniform by continuing to fly the 48 year old legacy JSTARS aircraft which are in need of recapitalization,” Scott said in a statement.
Scott had been seeking language in the compromise version of the fiscal 2019 National Defense Authorization Act that would have effectively overruled some of the Pentagon's plans for the aging JSTARS, which are housed at Robins Air Force Base and projected to hit the end of their lifetimes within the next decade.
The current 16 planes, old 707 passenger aircraft that have been outfitted with radar and surveillance equipment, have been integral to the U.S.’ fight against the Islamic State. They support roughly 2,500 jobs, including air crews, surveillance specialists and maintenance personnel, and generate more than $204 million in annual economic benefits for Georgia, according to federal figures.
Scott and other members of the delegation -- including Perdue at one point -- had wanted the Defense Department to purchase a new batch of JSTARS aircraft beginning in the early 2020s. The group penned a searing letter to Defense Secretary James Mattis last fall after rumors first started flying about the Air Force moving away from that plan, which had been in the works for years.
But the politics later began shifting. Mattis wrote that the delegation's favored approach would "not meet the needs of the warfighter across the full spectrum of conflict," and some in the defense world questioned whether the aircraft could withstand enemy fire.
That appeared to convince Perdue. In a June op-ed in the Macon Telegraph, the freshman Republican said there are "vast areas of the globe the current JSTARS fleet cannot penetrate today or in the future."
“We’ve seen Russia and China modernize their air defenses to keep our specialized capabilities farther from potentially contested locations,” he wrote.
Last month, the Pentagon announced it would abandon plans for a new fleet of JSTARS. It instead sought to outfit a new system known as the Advanced Battle Management System, or ABMS, that it said would perform the same surveillance and reconnaissance functions as the JSTARS more efficiently. The Air Force promised it would house "initial elements" of that new mission at Robins but was also vague about what would comprise the ABMS system beyond drones.
Scott cheered the news of the new mission but also warned there could be a gap between the JSTARS retirement date and when ABMS could be fully battle-ready.
“They are going to have a new system in 25 years, probably. But you’ve still got to fill the gap between now and 25 years,” Scott said as he continued to push for the new JSTARS fleet.
Then came word about the new defense bill Monday, which was drafted by a conference committee of which Scott and Perdue were both members. The legislation included language that would allow the Pentagon to move forward with its ABMS plans, as well as require the Air Force keep the current fleet of JSTARS flying until 2028, or until other benchmarks were met. What it did not include was a more than $600 million down payment for new JSTARS planes, which is what Scott and other Georgia lawmakers such as U.S. Rep. Jody Hice, R-Monroe, initially sought.
Perdue, who grew up near Warner Robins, said Monday he was supportive of the approach laid out in the bill.
“We save JSTARS jobs, maintain the JSTARS fleet into the next decade, accelerate the implementation of ABMS, and gain a new mission for Robins,” he said in a statement. “All of this guarantees a very bright future for my hometown base.”
Scott, whose 8th Congressional District is home to Robins, said the bill would “endanger” troops who rely on the JSTARS for its intelligence and surveillance capabilities. Maintaining the current fleet will be expensive and inefficient, he said, and outfitting new JSTARS will “provide a higher quality, lower risk mission for a lower cost over the next decade.” He also warned the Telegraph about possible base closure ramifications.
“This missed opportunity will put at risk our men and women in theater who rely on the unique capabilities of the JSTARS,” he said in a statement. “I hope Senator Perdue is willing to come back to the table.”
Perdue fired back, saying “anyone who doesn’t see that this plan is a huge win for Robins is more concerned with their next election than our long-term national security and Robins’ long-term viability.”
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