During a May 19 House Armed Services Committee budget hearing, several lawmakers questioned Gen. Norton Schwartz, Chief of Staff, about curtailment of F-22 production at only 187 aircraft and insistence by DOD officials that those 187 aircraft met military need. In one instance, Schwartz’s response was short and sweet: “Two forty-three is the right number and 187 is the affordable force.”
With Congress considering another continuing resolution to cover the rest of fiscal 2025, the Space Force’s No. 2 officer asked lawmakers to give the service “flexibility” to deal with budget uncertainty.