,,iv #aafth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,,res4 #hgi ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,march #b1 #bjbj,mrs4 ,kirkpatrick 7for herself1 ,mr4 ,simpson1 ,mr4 ,gallego1 ,mr4 ,fulcher1 ,mr4 ,ruppersberger1 ,mrs4 ,hartzler1 and ,mr4 ,mitchell7 submitted the following resolution2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,armed ,services ,,resolution ,expressing the sense of the ,house of ,representatives that ,congress should continue to support the ,a-#aj ,thunderbolt ,,ii attack aircraft1 also known as the ,warthog and ,a-#aj;,c or ,,oa-#aj;,c1 program4 ,whereas the ,a-#aj ,thunderbolt ,,ii attack aircraft 7hereinafter referred to as the ,a-#aj7 has seen action in every major ,united ,states conflict since the first production ,a-#aj was delivered to ,davis-,monthan ,air ,force ,base in ,october1 #aige1 and has received several upgrades for the #bha ,a-#ajs remaining in service2 ,whereas since ,operation ,desert ,storm in #aiia1 the ,a-#aj has become a preferred close air support platform for ground troops2 ,whereas the ,a-#aj has been the backbone of the close air support mission for more than #dj years and has proven to be a highly accurate and durable weapons-delivery platform that can be used against all ground targets2 ,whereas the ,a-#aj supports close air support with a variety of forward-firing1 free-fall1 and precision-guided munitions1 and performs combat search and rescue1 air interdiction1 armed reconnaissance1 suppression of enemy air defenses1 special operations forces support1 and countersea operations in either low- or high-threat environments1 day or night2 ,whereas the ,a-#aj provides the ,air ,force an extensive ability to survey the battlefield and then fix1 engage1 target1 and destroy a wide range of both mobile and fixed targets1 including tanks and other armored vehicles in quantity1 as an arsenal aircraft2 ,whereas the ,a-#aj gets pilots back to base despite heavy damage from ground fire2 ,whereas the ,a-#aj has the lowest rate of friendly fire incidents of any combat fighter or bomber2 ,whereas the close air support as provided by the ,a-#aj has proven invaluable on the battlefield1 and it is better than any other fighter aircraft for close air support as it is simple1 effective1 and has excellent maneuverability at low air speeds and altitude2 ,whereas the ,a-#aj is the least expensive combat plane in the ,united ,states arsenal to operate and buy2 ,whereas while the ,a-#aj flew only #cj percent of the ,united ,states ,air ,force's total sorties during ,operation ,desert ,storm in #aiia1 these aircraft achieved more than half of the confirmed ,iraqi equipment losses and fired #ij percent of the precision-guided ,maverick missiles2 ,whereas during ,operation ,allied ,force in #aiii1 ,a-#ajs destroyed more field-deployed ,serbian weaponry than any other allied weapon system1 and combat search and rescue support from the ,a-#aj was #ajj percent effective1 successfully rescuing one ,f-#aag pilot and one ,f-#af;,,cg pilot2 ,whereas during ,operation ,iraqi ,freedom in #bjjc and ,operation ,enduring ,freedom in #bjja1 the ,a-#aj flew #cb percent of the combat sorties in both theaters1 and from #bjjf to late #bjac1 flew #ai percent of close air operations in ,iraq and ,afghanistan2 ,whereas the ,a-#aj is an effective close air support platform to counter violent extremist organizations such as the ,islamic ,state in ,iraq and ,syria1 having flown #aa percent of ,air ,force sorties against that organization2 ,whereas the demands for close air support in ,iraq and ,afghanistan keep the ,a-#aj a relevant platform that requires upgrades2 ,whereas if the ,a-#aj is removed from service1 certain gaps in responsive close air support1 forward air controller1 air interdiction1 strike control and reconnaissance1 and combat search and rescue support could widen2 ,whereas the ,a-#aj can be serviced and operated with high sortie rates from austere bases with limited facilities near battle areas1 including unprepared dirt1 grass1 and narrow road runways1 and from airfields that are too short or rough to handle fast jets2 ,whereas to continue providing unmatched airpower1 gain and maintain air superiority1 and extend global reach1 global power is essential to preserving global security and stability2 ,whereas the ,a-#aj program will support the ,air ,force1 including the ,air ,national ,guard and ,air ,force ,reserve2 ,whereas the ,a-#aj is currently flying in operational combat squadrons at ,gowen ,field ,air ,national ,guard ,base1 ,idaho1 ,selfridge ,air ,national ,guard ,base1 ,michigan1 ,warfield ,air ,national ,guard ,base1 ,maryland1 ,fort ,wayne ,air ,national ,guard ,station1 ,indiana1 ,whiteman ,air ,force ,base1 ,missouri1 ,davis-,monthan ,air ,force ,base1 ,arizona1 ,nellis ,air ,force ,base1 ,nevada1 ,eglin ,air ,force ,base1 ,florida1 ,moody ,air ,force ,base1 ,georgia1 and ,osan ,air ,base1 ,south ,korea2 and ,whereas the #ceeth ,wing at ,davis-,monthan ,air ,force ,base1 with the inventory of #hd ,a-#ajs1 is responsible for training and deploying ,a-#aj pilots1 whose primary role is to support troops on the ground3 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,that the ,house of ,representatives-- 7#a7 finds that the continued support for the ,a-#aj ,thunderbolt ,,ii program is imperative to national security2 and 7#b7 affirms that ,congress should continue to support the ,a-#aj ,thunderbolt ,,ii program in future fiscal years because the ,united ,states cannot afford to risk its security or the security of its allies by allowing that program to fall short of its mission4