Welsh came on duty in August 2012
following an interim leader. He arrived with
rave reviews from troops and high
expectations on the part of air power
advocates. Welsh is a command pilot with
plenty of F-16 Fighting Falcon and A-
time in his logbook. He started on the job
with a clean slate and plenty of clout.
Welsh steadfastly refuses to acknowledge
the technical and fi scal problems that
hobble the F-35A Lightning II Joint Strike
Fighter. These include, as was announced
recently, a cannon on the F-35 that isn’t
cleared for operation and is now facing new
delays until at least 2019. Welsh clings to
the administration’s line that the A-10 must
be retired (differing here, publicly, with
Odierno). His offi ce said he could not be
made available for an interview for this
column, as did Odierno’s. As far as I could
learn, Welsh has not commented on British
defense readiness.
Welsh is averse to risk. It’s
understandable. After all, a military service
chief must walk a fi ne line. That means
objecting to offi cial policy in private, not inpublic, and supporting offi cial policy
wherever possible — or quitting. Still, there
were times in the distant past when a
general would slam his stars down on the
table rather than accept a policy he
disagreed with. The only time that has
happened in recent decades was in 1997
when a previous Air Force chief, Gen
Ronald Fogleman, resigned over a matter of
principle unrelated to today’s budget woes.
Welsh’s lack of imagination is
disappointing. Odierno’s openness is
refreshing. The reductions-in-force on both
sides of the Atlantic are disturbing. I’ve
been pleasantly surprised that few Britons
have voiced any objection to an Americangeneral tampering with their sovereign
policies. Perhaps that’s because Odierno’s
point of view enjoys plenty of supporters on
the British side of the Atlantic.
Whether one outspoken general, or even
an orchestrated ‘strategic information
campaign’ can infl uence Parliament or
Congress remains to be seen. When this
issue of Combat Aircraft went to press,
there was no indication that either Britain
or the United States could expect any
increase in military spending any time
soon. A shrinking RAF is not a good thing
for any of us but, Ray Odierno
notwithstanding, it appears to be on the
cards for the time being.’‘In the current campaign against Islamic State,
several countries with crucial interests at stake
are keeping their powder dry. This makes the
‘special relationship’ between the UK and the US
more important than ever’
http://www.combataircraft.net May 2015 1514-15 Front Line C.indd 15 20/03/2015 11: