Air Force C-17 Aircraft Procurement: Background and Issues for Congress

Jeremiah Gertler
Specialist in Military Aviation

A total of 223 C-17s have been procured through FY2010. The Administration's proposed FY2011 defense budget proposed to end C-17 procurement and did not request any funding for the procurement of additional C-17s. The Administration argues that enough C-17s have now been procured to meet future operational needs. Supporters of procuring additional C-17s in FY2011 believe additional C-17s will be needed to meet future operational needs. The issue of how much airlift capability will be needed in the future is currently being examined in a congressionally mandated study being done by the Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA) and in a separate Department of Defense (DOD) study called the Mobility Capabilities and Requirements Study 2016 (MCRS-16), which was due to be completed by the end of 2009. 

FY2010 defense authorization bill: The conference report (H.Rept. 111-288 of October 7, 2009) on the FY2010 defense authorization act (H.R. 2647/P.L. 111-84 of October 28, 2009) authorizes no funding for the procurement of additional C-17s. Section 137 of the act prohibits the Secretary of the Air Force from proceeding with a decision to retire C-5As in any number that would reduce the active inventory of C-5s below 111 until certain conditions are met, and require the Secretary of the Air Force to submit a report to the congressional defense committees on the issue of C-5 retirement. Section 138 requires the Secretary of the Air Force, in coordination with the Director of the Air National Guard, to submit to the congressional defense committees, at least 90 days before a C-5 airlift aircraft is retired, a report on the proposed force structure and basing of C-5 and C-17 aircraft. Section 139 amends 10 USC 8062(g)(1) to state that the Secretary of the Air Force shall maintain a total inventory of not less than 316 C-5s and C-17s. If the current force of 111 C-5s were retained, this provision would support a C-17 force of not less than 205 C-7s—the number procured through FY2008. 

FY2010 DOD appropriations bill: In lieu of a conference report, the House Appropriations Committee on December 15, 2009, released an explanatory statement on a final version of H.R. 3326. This version was passed by the House on December 16, 2009, and by the Senate on December 19, 2009, and signed into law on December 19, 2009, as P.L. 111-118. 

The explanatory statement includes $2,588.5 million for procurement of 10 C-17s in 2010, an increase of $2,500.0 million over the administration request. The budget for modification of in service C-17s is reduced in the statement by $17.4 million, from the request of $469.7 million to $352.3 million. As Congress decided to continue production, the Administration request for $91.4 million in post-production support was not funded. 

The explanatory statement provides for the rescission of $22.4 million from Air Force research and development funds for the C-17 without further explanation.


Date of Report: April 6, 2010
Number of Pages: 38
Order Number: RS22763
Price: $29.95

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