The Future of the Bomber Force
POLICY FORUMWednesday, October 17, 2001
11:00 a.m.
Featuring Gen. Richard Hawley, United States Air Force (retired); with commentary by John Tirpak, Air Force Association; Jack Spencer, Heritage Foundation; Ivan Eland, Cato Institute.
The Cato Institute
1000 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20001
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Bombers - including the B-1 - have been sent overseas in anticipation of military strikes as part of the war on terrorism. Prior to the September 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld proposed cutting the force of B-1 bombers by a third and using the savings to modernize the other two-thirds. A broader debate on the future of the bomber forces is needed.
Although the Air Force is making a significant investment to modernize its tactical fighter force-which operates from vulnerable overseas bases-it does not plan to build a new bomber until 2037. Yet bombers can operate from the U.S. homeland and may have a more significant role in a potential future conflict. Is Rumsfeld's proposal for the B-1 a good one? How should the current bomber force be structured? Do we need a new long-range bomber? How would we pay for a new bomber?