OPINION:
We are currently locked in an intense generational military and economic competition with China, and the stakes for America’s way of life couldn’t be higher.
National security dictates that our military needs to stay one step ahead of our adversaries like China and Russia. The Air Force and Pentagon have an opportunity to effectuate that goal by investing in the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program. While continuing to invest in aspects of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program, the Pentagon should move forward with the NGAD at full speed.
The NGAD is a classified program of the U.S. Air Force that is considered a sixth-generation fighter jet. There is reporting that China already has an established “sixth-generation manned fighter, or next-generation manned fighter” that is expected to be deployed in the next decade.
There has been some reporting on public aspects of the Pentagon program. Air Force Technology reported on March 8, 2024, “A sixth-generation fighter aircraft will form the centerpiece of the network-connected NGAD family of systems. It will be complemented by multiple manned aircraft, loyal wingman-style unmanned aerial vehicles, and advanced command, control and communication systems.”
Reporting indicates that the Air Force wants to start with “200 NGAD fighters and 1,000 unmanned collaborative combat aircraft (CCAs), assuming the use of two CCA platforms for each NGAD fighter and another two for each of the 300 F-35 fifth-generation fighters.” This is the program intended to modernize the military’s fighter jet program.
New technology for fighter jets is needed to supplement a struggling F-35 program. According to the Government Accountability Office(GAO) in a report published on May 16, 2024, the F-35 JSF program was promoted as a crucial aspect of American national security, yet “the F-35 has been plagued by mounting costs and delays resulting in what some have called a staggering price tag of more than $2 trillion over several decades.”
Although the F-35 remains an important tool for national security today, it faces two big challenges. The first is a hurdle in modernizing the aircraft because of the late delivery of engines and aircraft and delays in updating the software. Modernization has become a real challenge. A second hurdle is that while the program’s costs have increased, the use of the aircraft is projected to decrease because of unreliability issues with the aircraft. These problems do not lead to the program being scrapped because it is a necessary element of our and our allies’ national defense, yet the Pentagon might want to shift some resources to the NGAD program.
Air superiority is rightly a goal of the U.S. Air Force and federal policymakers. The Air Force has clarified that the NGAD will develop at least four technologies. The first is to improve propulsion through increasing electrical power generation while doing a better job of cooling the engines. A second, as reported by the Congressional Research Service (CRS), is to develop uncrewed systems, like drones, to “collect intelligence, provide electronic warfare capabilities, or carry additional munitions.” A third is to use new composite materials and structures while a fourth is to develop improved radar, infrared sensors, and improved cameras. All of these advances are worthy of Congressional appropriations and a commitment by the White House to update our military’s technological advantage over adversaries.
As the battlefield creeps closer to space, new technologies are needed to ensure that our foremost geopolitical adversaries in China and Russia do not outflank the Pentagon. At a minimum, the Department of Defense needs to accelerate efforts to get in place these new technologies so Americans can feel confident and secure in the future. The NGAD program is that effort, and the time is now.
• Mr. Keiser is Senior Principal at Navigators Global, a Senior Fellow at the National Security Institute, and a former Senior Advisor to the House Intelligence Committee.
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