Senator Cramer Leads Colleagues in Letter to Secretary Austin, Highlights Concerns Over the Divesting of Airborne ISR Capabilities

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Air Force has developed a trend of rapid divestment from airborne intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) platforms without producing new capabilities to replace them. These actions leave our troops unprotected, force our Commanders to accept greater risk, and deny our civilian policy makers the best information available before having to decide whether to use military force.

On Monday, U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), led his Senate colleagues in a bipartisan letter to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, emphasizing the necessity of airborne ISR and the strategy of investing in both air and space capabilities in order to successfully address our near peer threats and the mission needs of Combatant Commanders.

The senators argued the, "…importance of ISR cannot be overstated. Whether it's getting President Kennedy the information necessary during the Cuban missile crisis, getting our allies and partners what they need to maintain the peace of the Camp David Accords, or feeding and completing the kill chain against near peer adversaries and Violent Extremist Organizations (VEO), ISR provides the information necessary for the decision makers at every level."

Despite persistent cuts to airborne ISR platforms such as the retiring of MC-12 Liberty, MQ-1 Predator, E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (JSTARS), the RQ-4 Global Hawk Block 20s and 30s, and the MQ-9 Block 1, there has been no development of new, modernized airborne ISR platforms.

"While the Air Force divests airborne ISR, the Combatant Commanders have repeatedly warned Congress they are not receiving enough ISR. […] Admissions like this from top commanders in theater illustrate the concern is not theoretical. There are real-world gaps that must be addressed,"the senators continued. "The Air Force has a history of cutting ISR in order to meet other aspirations. […] We look forward to your candid assessment of the responsibility the US Air Force has to provide ISR capabilities, and we remain ready to contribute to a meaningful solution."

The lawmakers asked Secretary Austin whether the Air Force still has a requirement to provide airborne ISR capability to the Combatant Commands with sufficient capacity and operational flexibility to meet mission needs; if other services are buying their own ISR platforms to cover what the Air Force is dropping; if the Air Force's Total Obligational Authority (TOA) will reflect that drop; and whether it is the United States' best interest to vacate the airborne ISR domain and rely solely on space-based assets.

Additional members who cosigned the letter include U.S. Senators Deb Fischer (R-NE), Tim Kaine (D-VA), and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH).

Click here for the letter.

During a SASC hearing in March, Senator Cramer asked U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) and U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) leadership about critical ISR needs. Most recently, he questioned Secretary Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Charles Q. Brown, Jr. on the future of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR), flat defense budgets, and the need to catch up to China's capabilities.

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