Air Force scraps spy planes used to fight border drug war due to no “Dedicated Funding”
The current plan cannot be replaced. RC-26 aircraft, despite the Air Force speeding the program’s decommissioning, according to CNN.
The spy planes are heavily relied upon to monitor fentanyl trafficking across the U.S./Mexico border. However, National Guard pilots have been told to scrap the aircraft sooner than they expected. Original reported Pilots were facing retirement in April 2023 for their planes. New orders were received by pilots in November 2022 so they could get rid of them before the year ends.
Representative Adam Kinzinger (R.Ill.), a pilot in Air National Guard, stated to CNN that he is fighting to have the program extended or replaced.
“Law enforcement lives have been saved by having this asset available,” Kinzinger said so to the outlet. “We can see anything weird that’s going to happen,” He concluded.
Rep. Kinzinger was one of two Republicans who voted in favor of the election, and his profile has been elevated dramatically. January 6 committeeAccording to him, he met Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall, but was told that there was no way for the program to continue.
Kinzinger asserts that the secretary made it crystal clear “that DoD business is not, in essence, domestic drug issues even though DoD is one of the primary people responsible.”
Officials from the Air Force have rebutted the story by saying that their drones will replace any manned aircrafts. Using the drones “leaves no capability gap,” an official told CNN.
“Given there is no Air Force specific RC-26B validated requirements nor dedicated funding to support sustainment of the weapons system,” Air Force spokesperson Ann Stefanek told CNN, “the Air Force is moving forward with the retirement of the aircraft.”
In November 2022, the planes were used in three separate fentanyl busts, totaling approximately 22,500 pills each, according to data provided by CNN.
According to U.S. Customs and Border ProtectionFiscal year 2022 saw almost 15,000 pounds of
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