 "Alarmed by China’s Taiwan game, retired US generals urge funding for E-7 Wedgetail, more F-35s")
A group of senior retired United States Air Force generals have urged Congress to fund the procurement of 75 F-35A fighter jets and fully restore funding for the E-7 Wedgetail command-and-control aircraft in the upcoming fiscal year, warning that any delay could impair the US military’s ability to respond to an escalating threat from China, particularly over Taiwan.
In a letter addressed to congressional leaders including Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, the Air & Space Forces Association (AFA) said it was “alarmed” by recent proposals to cut the F-35A buy to just 24 aircraft and to terminate the E-7 program entirely. The letter, signed by over a dozen former top commanders including multiple former USAF Chiefs of Staff, said such moves would “severely and unnecessarily undermine our service members’ ability to deter, and if necessary, prevail in future conflicts.”
Citing the growing urgency around Taiwan, the retired generals referenced Chinese plans to achieve the capability for a successful amphibious assault on the island by 2027. “If conflict does come, there will be no more decisive question than who controls the skies over the Pacific,” they wrote. “The actions Congress takes this year… could be critical in deterring and, if necessary, prevailing in near-term conflicts.”
F-35As: Combat-proven and urgent
The letter emphasised the need to reach the Air Force’s requirement of 1,763 F-35As, calling the aircraft critical to modern combat operations. It cited the fighter’s role in Operation Midnight Hammer and Israel’s use of the F-35 to defeat Iranian air defences as recent proof of its decisive capabilities.
While acknowledging past development challenges, the letter pointed to the near completion of the aircraft’s Tech Refresh 3 upgrade, which includes significant hardware and software improvements. “The hardware and software upgrades are now available enabling even greater improvements in the F-35,” the signatories said.
The letter also cited a surge in foreign interest in the jet as evidence of its credibility. The United Kingdom, Italy, Netherlands, Belgium, Poland, Romania, Greece, Czech Republic, and Finland have all expanded or committed to F-35A procurements.
E-7 Wedgetail “cannot be replaced” by stopgaps
Turning to the E-7, the generals pushed back against the proposal to terminate the Wedgetail in favour of acquiring more E-2 Hawkeye aircraft, calling it a “stopgap” that would not meet theatre-wide airborne command and control requirements.
They noted that allies including the United Kingdom, Australia, South Korea, Turkey, and Nato have all adopted the E-7 for its modern capabilities, and that Britain even reversed plans to reduce its fleet of the aircraft in its latest Strategic Defence Review.
Impact Shorts
More Shorts“Having a robust tracking and battle management system is fundamental to projecting air power and winning conflicts,” the letter said, while acknowledging that a future space-based command system under development by the US Space Force is still far from operational.
The letter praised the House Appropriations Committee for proposing funds for 42 F-35As and $500 million in additional E-7 development, but called for full restoration of the E-7 programme and procurement of 75 F-35As.
“Time is of the essence”
The authors, including Generals Joseph Ralston, Merrill McPeak, Michael Ryan, Philip Breedlove, Lori Robinson and others, stressed that the window to prepare for a potential Chinese offensive on Taiwan is narrowing.
“China has committed itself to being able to achieve, in two short years, the successful amphibious assault of Taiwan,” they warned. “Time is of the essence.”
The letter called on Congress to take “decisive” legislative action in the Fiscal Year 2026 defence budget to ensure US air dominance is not jeopardised in the Indo-Pacific.
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