The story was edited at 3:50 pm Eastern Time on September 9, and the US Air Force Chief of Staff General CQ Brown issued a clarification statement.

Washington - The top general of the US Air Force supports the proposed legislation that will limit the number of F-35s that the Department of Defense can purchase unless it meets the affordability goals of operating and maintaining jet aircraft.

The version of the National Defense Policy Act for fiscal year 2022 approved by the House Armed Services Committee last Thursday will require the Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps to meet the "cost per year" target, which measures the average cost of flying, maintaining and upgrading jets.

When asked about the clause at a defense press conference on Wednesday, General CQ Brown, Chief of Staff of the Air Force, stated that he would support the proposed cost limits.

"The wording of Congress really fits the work we are trying to accomplish," Brown said.

"One of our goals is to make this [program] truly affordable and to make maintenance costs affordable," he said, calling it the "focus" of the service.

On September 9, Brown clarified in a statement to Defense News that “His comments are not related to any specific legislation, but to the ongoing efforts of Congress and industry partners to achieve affordability goals. ."

The Air Force plans to purchase 1,763 F-35A conventional takeoff and landing models throughout the record program. However, the total life cycle cost of supporting this number of aircraft is still higher than the service items it can afford.

In fiscal year 20, the Air Force’s operating and maintenance costs per F-35A were approximately $8 million—about twice the annual target cost of $4.1 million per tail.

According to a July report from the Government Accountability Office, by 2036—when F-35 operations peak—the gap between this indicator and actual costs could reach $4.4 billion in annual recurring expenses.

HASC Chairman and D-Wash Rep. Adam Smith said that the proposed language is intended to prompt Lockheed Martin and the Department of Defense to collaborate to develop solutions to reduce maintenance costs.

"If you reduce maintenance costs, we will buy more," Smith said at an event at the Brookings Institution on August 31. "If you don't do this, we won't do it, just because it involves cost."

The HASC version of the National Defense Authorization Law still needs to overcome several legislative obstacles before it can become law. The House of Representatives will be able to modify the bill before it passes the House of Commons. The HASC legislators will then work with their counterparts on the Senate Armed Services Committee to develop the final version of the bill.

It is not yet clear whether SASC will support F-35 cost restrictions; its NDAA does not include such language that restricts F-35 procurement.

If these regulations become law, the Department of Defense will work for it as it strives to achieve affordability goals.

GAO criticized the stakeholders of the F-35 project—including the service department, the F-35 joint program office, Lockheed, and engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney—have a “unique and different perspective” on affordability, which makes it very It is difficult to reach agreement. Reach a consensus on how to best solve the problem.

But Brown said on Wednesday that he believes that these organizations "are all committed to the same thing. ... to make maintenance costs more reasonable."

Valerie Insinna is an air combat reporter for defense news. She previously worked on Navy/Congress Beat for Defense Daily, and then worked as a writer for National Defense Magazine for nearly three years. Prior to this, she served as an editorial assistant for the Tokyo Shimbun Washington Bureau.