(The Wall Street Journal, Ted Budd and Jeanne Shaheen, May 5, 2026)
The United States is losing its undisputed air dominance due to political choices and budget cuts that have drastically reduced the fighter fleet from over 4,100 aircraft in 1990 to only 2,000 today, with an average age of 27 years and operational rates around 50%, while China is rapidly advancing with its sixth-generation fighters J-36 and J-50 already flying since 2024 and production that could exceed the American output by 200% by 2027.
The crisis is worsened by a shortage of trained pilots, with reduced flight hours and an exodus to the civilian sector, as well as the extreme aging of aircraft like the KC-135 over 60 years old, in a context where China is mobilizing its entire military-industrial complex to prepare for a clash over Taiwan and deter Western intervention in the Indo-Pacific.
To reverse the trend, the two bipartisan senators propose multi-year authorization for F-35 and F-15EX, a 50% increase in the fighter fleet by 2035, and greater incentives to retain experienced pilots, emphasizing that air dominance is not an American birthright but must be urgently reclaimed to avoid a strategic failure against Beijing.
Air Dominance at Risk
“For decades, presidents and Congress have made political decisions and budget cuts that have minimized the power of the American military aviation. The Air Force’s total fighter fleet has dropped from 4,100 in 1990 to 2,000 in 2024. Only 1,300 are now coded for combat, a historic low.”
Chinese Production Accelerating Sharply
“China is undergoing a national mobilization of its military-industrial complex, with defense spending increased thirteenfold in 30 years, deploying advanced fighters at a rate that could surpass the American one by nearly 200% by 2027.”
Three Urgent Steps for Washington
“First, give suppliers the certainty they need to expand production lines. Second, set higher standards for the quality and quantity of our fighter fleets. Third, provide better support to Americans fighting in the air.”
Cost of the Triple Pension Guarantee
“If the triple guarantee is maintained indefinitely, all the economy’s income eventually ends up with retirees. It is simply an unsustainable mathematical feature.”
Need for Defense Spending
“We cannot defend Britain with a continually expanding welfare budget.”
(Excerpt from the newsletter by Giuseppe Liturri)
