Hegseth questions Air Force plan to buy E-7, touts space-based recon
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday cast doubt on the future utility of airborne battle management aircraft, particularly the E-7 Wedgetail, and said space-based capabilities represent the future of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.
Hegseth's skepticism of the E-7 and touting of space intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, or ISR, may presage a split between the Pentagon's top leadership and Air Force leaders and some lawmakers who feel that airborne assets are still the best option for managing battlefields.
The Air Force wants to buy 26 Boeing-made E-7s, which have been flown for years by Australia and are being bought by other nations such as the United Kingdom, to replace its fleet of aging E-3 Sentry airborne warning and control system, or AWACS, planes. The AWACS, with its unmistakable massive radar dome high atop its fuselage, has been in service since the late 1970s, but is approaching the end of its life, and its capabilities are falling short in many ways.
But while Air Force leaders often speak about the E-7's importance for the service's future battlefield needs, reports have swirled in recent months that the White House is seriously considering scrapping the Air Force's plans to buy the planes in favor of a space-based option.
The Pentagon is researching shifting moving target indication — the use of radar or other technology to identify and track targets and tell them apart from friendly or civilian assets — to satellites instead of aircraft, but top officials have said those demonstrations have not yet shown enough data to draw conclusions and that both air- and space-based systems will be needed.
In Tuesday's House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense hearing, Oklahoma Republican Rep. Tom Cole — whose district includes Tinker Air Force Base, where most of the service's 16 remaining E-3s are stationed — stressed the importance of bringing on the E-7 to replace the AWACS. While space-based ISR shows promise, Cole said, aircraft like the E-7 bring capabilities that will still be needed even when those satellites are operational.
'It's not a new technology,' Cole said of the E-7. 'Our friends in Australia use it. Our friends in the United Kingdom use it. It's much superior to what we have.'
Hegseth responded that the Pentagon is rethinking its investments, in part based on lessons learned from the war in Ukraine and from watching China's own military modernizations. And if systems will not be able to survive in a modern war, or give the U.S. enough of an advantage, Hegseth said, 'We have to make the tough decisions right now.'
'It's our job to fund those new systems and make tough calls,' Hegseth said. 'So the E-7 is an example of that. We're going to fund existing platforms that are there more robustly and make sure they're modernized. But we believe most of the ISR, or a great deal of ISR, in the future will be space-based.'
'We're funding capabilities that will surpass some of those airborne capabilities,' Hegseth continued. 'So we're willing to continue to review things like the E-7. But from our view, investments in existing systems that carry forward that capability alongside even bigger investments in space-based ISR gives us the kind of advantages we need on a future battlefield.'
Cole said Hegseth made a 'fair point,' but asked him to use caution when shifting course on the E-7 procurement.
'We got a platform here that works,' Cole said of the E-7. 'Space is great. It's unknown. It's undeveloped. And I would just urge you to look at this pretty carefully as you make the decision.'
The Air Force declined to comment on Hegseth's remarks on the E-7.
In a separate hearing on May 6, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin said satellites are not yet ready to take over all airborne moving target indication missions, even though they provide crucial sensing capabilities.
Former Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said in a May interview with Defense News that a satellite-based moving target indication capability still faces several technical challenges, including whether it could have enough power, penetrate cloud cover and withstand enemy attacks. Kendall said a moving target indication system based entirely in space would take years to field and not be ready by the time the E-3 fleet would need to be retired.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Metro Justice and allies rally at City Hall against RG&E Thursday
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — On Thursday, members of Metro Justice and the Rochester for Energy Democracy (RED) Campaign gathered at Rochester City Hall to rally against Rochester Gas & Electric. Organizers said the rally was held to call out the RG&E audit and the company's connection to the Chamber of Commerce. Metro Justice members said the audit shows dramatic security and compliance concerns, in addition to a lack of planning and leadership. Demonstrators said they want the City Council and Mayor Malik Evans' administration to use reserved funds to commission a Phase 1 study to replace RG&E with a public utility. Monroe County and the Mayor's Office have previously refused to commit to doing a study due to the cost. It was revealed on Thursday morning that RG&E has failed again to meet the requirements of customer service standards by the New York State Public Service Commission. They will now be required to pay a $9.8 million fine. News 8 spoke to both RG&E and Metro Justice at the rally on Thursday. 'This notion of government-controlled power would be terrible for the people of Rochester, it would result in exorbitant costs for things like property taxes. It would increase, I mean, the cost associated with buying out the infrastructure would be really difficult for people here in the city. It would take away vital services the city has,' Michael Baggerman, communications manager for RG&E said of Metro Justice's ask. 'The audit was honestly extremely shocking; it is even worse than we thought. There's all the things we knew about all of the like billing errors, the customer service, tjeu're cooking their books, but also a huge amount of negligence putting customers in danger with gas leaks, and cybersecurity, lack of cyber security, but also really that they don't actually even plan at the utility level,' said campaign and policy coordinator of Metro Justice, Dr. Michi Wenderlich. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Attacking Iran, Israel brazenly defies 'man of peace' Trump
US President Donald Trump on Thursday implored Israel not to attack Iran and declared once again his goal was to be a peacemaker. Hours later, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, one of Trump's closest international allies, brazenly defied his advice by unleashing a major military campaign described as a "preemptive" strike against Iran's nuclear program. The attack marks only the latest setback for Trump's lofty goal set out at the start of his second term of being a "man of peace." Russian President Vladimir Putin, with whom Trump has also boasted a warm relationship, has rebuffed his overtures on a ceasefire with Ukraine. And Israel resumed another massive offensive in Gaza after talks bogged down on extending a ceasefire with Hamas reached with Trump's support at the end of his predecessor Joe Biden's term. Trump's friend and roving envoy Steve Witkoff -- who has negotiated in all three crises -- had been set to meet Iranian officials again Sunday in Oman. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a statement made clear the United States was not involved in attacking Iran and warned Tehran not to retaliate against US troops in the region. Rubio said that Israel advised that it attacked out of "self-defense," but conspicuously did not say if the United States agreed. Trump, hours before the strikes, doubled down with a social media post saying he remained "committed to a diplomatic resolution" on Iran. Netanyahu has described Iran's cleric-run government, which backs Hamas, as an existential threat and already last year ordered strikes that knocked out its air defenses. "We've clearly seen a fork in the road in the American and Israeli approaches to this problem set," said Dana Stroul, a former senior Pentagon official who is a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. "These strikes are going to disrupt and delay and degrade Iran's nuclear program. The question, I think, is whether or not the United States and Israel in the future are going to work together on what to do to maximize the time that's put back on the clock," she said. - Increasingly at odds - Stroul noted that rifts had been building between Israel and Trump, who last month agreed to remove sanctions on Syria after former Islamist guerrilla Ahmed al-Sharaa swept into power. Trump embraced the new Syrian leader after appeals on a tour of Gulf Arab monarchies -- which have also backed diplomacy on Iran. In Qatar last month, Trump said after meeting the emir that he believed a deal was in sight with Iran and that there would be no "nuclear dust" over the region. Despite growing disagreements, Israel enjoys robust support in Trump's right-wing base. The Trump administration in recent days has again taken lonely positions to back Israel, with the United States casting one of the only votes at the UN General Assembly against a Gaza ceasefire resolution and criticizing top allies, including Britain, for imposing sanctions on far-right Israeli ministers. Justin Logan, director of defense and foreign policy at the libertarian Cato Institute, said the Israeli attack will "destroy US diplomatic efforts" on Iran and called for Trump to reject any US military role in protecting Israel from retaliation. "Israel has the right to choose its own foreign policy. At the same time, it has the responsibility to bear the costs of that policy," he said. But lawmakers in Trump's Republican Party quickly rallied behind Israel. Senator Tom Cotton said that the United States should "back Israel to the hilt, all the way," and topple Iran's Islamic Republic if it targets US troops. Trump's Democratic rivals, who mostly backed his diplomacy on Iran, were aghast at Israel's action on the eve of new US-Iran talks. "Israel's alarming decision to launch airstrikes on Iran is a reckless escalation that risks igniting regional violence," said Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Forces Committee. sct/des
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Hegseth clashes with Democrats in third day of hearings
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Thursday closed out his third and final day of hearings on Capitol Hill with several clashes with lawmakers as he dodged questions on invading Greenland, Ukraine aid, his use of the app Signal, and troop deployment in Los Angeles. Hegseth, in his first appearance before the House Armed Services Committee, was quickly hit with queries from panel Democrats, starting with ranking member Adam Smith (Wash.). Smith pressed the Pentagon chief on whether it is the Defense Department's policy that the U.S. military be prepared to take Greenland or Panama by force. Hegseth would not rule out the possibility of a future military invasion of the Arctic territory and Central American country, suggesting to lawmakers the Pentagon could have such plans and that the U.S. has an interest in protecting both areas from Chinese influence. The Defense Department 'plans for any particular contingency' he said, adding that 'I think the American people would want the Pentagon to have plans for anything.' The answer caused Smith to scoff, replying: 'I don't think the American people voted for President Trump because they were hoping we would invade Greenland. I'm going to go out on a limb on that one.' Smith also warned that the Trump administration is sending a message to the rest of the world 'that the U.S. is purely in it for itself and does not care about alliances' in seeking to take over its ally countries. President Trump for months has floated the possibility of using military force to take over Greenland and Panama by refusing to rule out such an action. The thought has alarmed allies, including Denmark, which owns Greenland and has opposed any U.S. efforts to take over the territory. Hegseth was later pressed by Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio), who implored him to confirm that 'it is not your testimony today that there are plans at the Pentagon for taking by force or invading Greenland, correct? Because I sure as hell hope that it is not that.' Hegseth would only repeat that the 'Pentagon has plans for any number of contingencies' and that officials 'look forward to working with Greenland to ensure that it is secured from any potential threats.' Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) took his five minutes to supply Hegseth with the most direct questioning he's yet faced on whether he shared classified information on U.S. attack plans in Yemen via the Signal messaging app. Moulton asked Hegseth whether when U.S. Central Command relayed the launch time for fighter jets set to strike Houthi militant targets in March — information the Pentagon chief would go on to share with at least two Signal group chats — the information was relayed on a classified or unclassified system. Hegseth declined to answer, asserting that 'any way that the secretary of Defense communicates or provides information in and of itself is classified and not to be discussed.' He also wouldn't say what the classification markings were on the information Central Command relayed, prompting Moulton to grow exasperated. 'It's not classified to disclose whether or not it was classified,' he said, eventually getting Hegseth to admit that he was not saying that the information was unclassified. 'So you took classified information from Central Command that had a classification marking on it — because that's what's required by DOD regulations — and you put it on an unclassified system,' Moulton stated, asking whether Hegseth plans to take any accountability for that. But Hegseth continued to dodge: 'I serve at the pleasure of the president, like everybody else does.' Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Calif.) then lambasted the Defense secretary as an 'embarrassment,' demanding he resign over a range of issues including the Signal group chat, deploying Marines to Los Angeles amid protests and his views on Russia's war in Ukraine. 'I have called for your resignation. I didn't think you were qualified before your confirmation, and you have done nothing to inspire confidence in your ability to lead competently,' Carbajal said. Later, Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) pressed the secretary on U.S. military posture with Israel reportedly threatening an imminent attack on Iran. Khanna repeatedly asked Hegseth whether he could commit to not directly attacking Iran unless the Islamic Republic first fired on the United States. Hegseth would make no such assurance. 'It wouldn't be prudent for me to commit or not to commit. My job is to be postured and prepared,' Hegseth said. He also said Trump is 'giving Iran every opportunity, with talks ongoing, but he also fully recognizes the threat that Iran, with a nuclear blowup, would exist.' Khanna also asked Hegseth whether he would commit to following federal court or Supreme Court rulings regarding the Pentagon's extraordinary deployment of National Guard members and Marines into Los Angeles. But the Pentagon chief repeatedly dodged the question, saying only that 'my job right now is to ensure the troops that we have in Los Angeles are capable of supporting law enforcement.' After another effort, Hegseth said the U.S. should not have 'local judges determining foreign policy or national security policy for the country.' Khanna pointed to signals from others in the Trump administration, specifically Vice President Vance, that they could ignore court orders they disagree with. The hearing caps off Hegseth's long week on Capitol Hill, which began on Tuesday with a relatively quiet House Appropriations defense subcommittee hearing. But on Wednesday, Hegseth faced heated questions from the Senate's version of the Appropriations panel, which bombarded Hegseth over the Russia-Ukraine war, the Pentagon's delays in delivering budget information and the administration's focus on Greenland in its Arctic strategy. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
