A-10 Warthog Budget Cuts: Scrapping Tank Killing Aircraft a ‘Serious Mistake’

Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the Pentagon’s proposal to scrap the Air Force’s A-10 “Warthog” tank-killer aircraft amid budget cuts would be a particularly tough sell. Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., said scrapping the plane was a “serious mistake” and vowed to fight it.

Lawmakers signaled a difficult battle ahead for the Obama administration’s plan to dramatically overhaul the nation’s military, voicing opposition Tuesday to proposed cuts in benefit packages, long-standing weapons programs and bases that mean money and jobs across America.

The skepticism from both Republicans and Democrats augured poorly for Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel’s vision of shrinking the Army to its smallest size in three-quarters of a century and creating a nimbler force more suited to future threats than the large land wars in Iraq and Afghanistan over the last decade.

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