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From AF Daily report 15 May 09

What Fighter Gap?: Whether or not there will be a fighter gap—for the Air Force, Navy, and Air National Guard—is a matter for the just-commenced Quadrennial Defense Review, Defense Secretary Robert Gates told the House Armed Services Committee May 13. Rep. Frank LoBiondo (R-N.J.) specifically questioned Gates about the air sovereignty alert mission fighter gap facing the Air Guard, given there is a "lack of a plan … to address the problem." But, Gates responded that if you look at the issue from a threat basis rather than a capabilities or force structure basis, there is no gap. And, Adm. Michael Mullen, JCS Chairman, testifying at the same hearing, explained, "We do have challenges, obviously, in strike-fighter shortfalls." However, he continued, "What it doesn't mean is that eight years from now or 20 years from now, we're going to be doing it [the mission] exactly the same way we're doing it now." That said, Mullen acknowledged that the "need to meet" the ASA requirement "is one we all recognize for the future." That being said, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) did not hesitate to point out that, "even under the most optimistic projections," without a timely infusion of replacement aircraft, the Air Guard "would be forced to close 13 fighter wings by 2017."

I think I would prefer to have the capability to wage war rather than watching a potential hostile nation's capability. Seems like we did that in WWI and WW2. But at least then we had the industrial capacity to catch up. Given the longer lead times for current-day systems and the reduced industrial base, We probably could not catch up to the threat until the conflict was over.

From AF Daily Report 15 May 09

Big Picture, Please: The Air Force's tactical aviation plan—terminating the F-22, early retirement of 250 fighters, continuing the F-35, and modifying older fighters—reflects a judgment that the service can "take some additional strategic risk for roughly the next six to seven years," service Secretary Michael Donley said at a Pentagon press conference Wednesday. The money saved by retiring the fighters will be "reinvested" in the ones "that are going to be around for a longer period of time," Donley said and added, that would include improving their sensors and equipping them with "modern munitions." It will also allow manpower to be diverted to other priorities such as the intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance mission. Donley noted that there's "about $1 billion" in the budget for upgrades to the F-22, as well. Overall, he described it as "a good package for the Air Force." He said "we wanted to have the … tactical air force discussion in that strategic context as a package and not just as a series of individual decisions." He also acknowledged, "We're not going to build the Air Force we thought we were going to build in 2000."