Pentagon should delay buying new planes for Special Operations Command, advises GAO

The Defense Department should hold off on buying dozens of small, fixed-wing aircraft that U.S. Special Operations Command says would be used for close air support and intelligence-gathering missions in austere environments like Africa, the Government Accountability Office said.

Special Operations Command plans to invest more than $2 billion to buy 75 L3Harris Sky Warden fighters as part of its Armed Overwatch program. The GAO on Thursday said Congress has expressed concerns about the program and delayed funding until the Defense Department provides it with additional information.

The Pentagon said Armed Overwatch would provide air support for forces operating in “permissive and semipermissive environments” — situations with little to no threats against allied aircraft.

The GAO said that studies completed in 2021 and 2022 didn’t justify Special Operations Command’s requirement for 75 Sky Warden aircraft. The agency added that the Pentagon failed to evaluate the need for Armed Overwatch despite changing circumstances, such as the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Special Operations Command “is not well-positioned to justify its acquisition target or timeline and is at risk of acquiring more or even fewer aircraft than it needs,” the GAO investigators said in their report.

The Defense Department should analyze the number of Armed Overwatch aircraft needed after considering changes to how Special Operations Command would operate in the future. It also should limit the acquisition of the aircraft until Special Operations Command completes its analysis, the GAO said.

Special Operations Command officials told GAO investigators any changes to the planned schedule for acquiring the Armed Overwatch aircraft might affect the cost per aircraft. But, they weren’t buying it.

Ensuring that Special Operations Command has thoroughly assessed the number of aircraft it needs against any cost adjustment will enable it to “facilitate the prudent use” of more than $2.2 billion it estimates to spend on Armed Overwatch through 2028, the GAO said.

The watchdog group said Special Operations Command must prepare for a future where it can deter strategic competitors and respond to violent organizations.

“To position itself to achieve both missions, (they) must invest its resources wisely and ensure it is acquiring capabilities designed for future fights, and not merely the operations of the past 20 years,” the GAO said.