May 16, 2006


On behalf of the more than 100,000 members of the Association of the United States Army (AUSA), I write to urge you to take whatever actions are required to restore funding for the Army’s portion of the Joint Cargo Aircraft (JCA) program.

There is a critical need within the Army to replace its organic fixed wing cargo aircraft now. This capability is essential to support the Army’s efforts in the Global War on Terrorism including efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq. JCA was also intended to support non-wartime missions for the Army and National Guard within the continental United States. Any further delay in the program will cause a significant increase in operations and maintenance costs of the CH-47 fleet which has been performing the missions intended for the JCA.

In order to more quickly and safely supply its soldiers on the battlefield as well as completed myriad other missions, our Army must have the capabilities provided by the JCA. Therefore, it is imperative that the Congress restore funding authorization for the JCA program, fully fund the Army’s portion of the JCA program and direct the Army to continue its acquisition process to procure an aircraft based on its original approved requirement, and future operations and maintenance budget constraints.

AUSA stands ready to assist in this worthy effort.

GORDON R. SULLIVAN
General, USA Retired