Update Air Force fleet

Supersonic war planes that can rapidly inflict severe damage on America's enemies are expensive. So are transport, reconnaissance and refueling aircraft. But unless we pay the high price of replacing those marvels of modern technology when needed, we could ultimately pay a terrible price that transcends financial measure.

That doesn't mean the Air Force has always spent its money as efficiently as it should. It certainly doesn't mean Congress should give the Air Force a blank check to cover its $18.8 billion "wish list" for new planes.

Yet repeated alarms from Air Force brass about the dangers of not upgrading their aging fleet deserve a full hearing. Maj. Gen. Paul Selva, the Air Force's director of strategic planning, recently offered a compelling argument to The Associated Press by citing a history lesson of sorts about some of the service's workhorse planes that are still flying:

The Air Force has been using the C-5 transport, long a familiar sight in Lowcountry skies due to its Charleston Air Force Base connection, since 1969, the B-52 bomber since 1955, the KC-135 tanker since 1957. The F-15 and F-16 fighters now flying average more than 20 years in age.

Gen. Selva warned: "If you want to accept that today we're doing an adequate job with this sort of patchwork of airplanes, when are we no longer able to do an adequate job? What's the next thing that's going to happen?"

Clearly, without a major investment in new planes, the Air Force will inevitably suffer a major reduction in its capabilities. The Air Force is asking for an additional $20 billion annually over the next five years for new planes, including F-22 and F-35 fighters to replace those F-15s and F-16s.

Top Air Force officials also stress the need to prepare for not just the continuing threat of terrorist enemies who don't have air forces but the rising potential that some other future enemies will. Meanwhile, our continued long-range missions in Iraq and Afghanistan impose inevitable wear and tear on an aging, overworked transport fleet. And while new planes cost a lot of money, old planes generally cost more to maintain than new ones.

Justified criticism of some misguided Air Force procurement policies in the past can't erase the pressing case for upgrades of its fleet. Congress should fairly evaluate the Air Force's need for new planes and take appropriate action to fulfill it, with proper oversight of spending decisions.

A failure to do so would seriously undermine our military effectiveness — and national security.