Pentagon To Raid Navy Aircraft Procurement To Fund Boeing E-7

The Pentagon wants to raid the Navy’s aircraft and broader Pentagon procurement funding to reverse course on developing the Boeing E-7A Wedgetail.

 

The White House Office of Management and Budget in a budget amendment letter to House Speaker Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.) on June 17 stated the funding adjustments would pay for the two E-7 prototype aircraft, along with other amendments to pay for nuclear facility enhancements. The shifts would not affect the overall discretionary base budget authority in the request.

 

Specifically, the letter states the Pentagon wants to reduce the Navy’s aircraft procurement account by $650.549 million to fund the prototypes and continue engineering and manufacturing development for a program of record. The letter does not say which part of the Navy’s aircraft procurement request would be cut, and the dollar amount does not directly coincide with a specific program. However, the Navy had sought to increase its spending on the Northrop Grumman E-2D Advanced Hawkeye that Pentagon officials have said would cover the gap in airborne early warning and control.

 

Additionally, the amendments would cut the Pentagon’s other procurement account by $899 million for the E-7s. Combined, OMB would request about $1.55 billion for the E-7 program.

 

The Pentagon had planned to cut the overall E-7 program, instead focusing on serving the airborne moving target indication role from space-based assets with more E-2s filling the gap in the near term. The move has faced intense opposition on Capitol Hill, with lawmakers adding funding to last year’s continuing resolution package to continue the program. Last month, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told lawmakers that the Pentagon’s mindset had shifted and the amendment was coming shortly.