The U.S. Navy is buying ten fewer P-8A Poseidon antisubmarine planes than its validated warfighting requirement, an odd move at a time when the maritime threat from China and Russia is growing. By not filling its full requirement, the sea service might also be creating a problem for a sister service. The Air Force wants to use the same version of the Boeing 737 to host its replacement of the E-3 AWACS, but if the Navy stops buying too soon the airframe may no longer be in production when the AWACS successor is ready for assembly. I have written a commentary for forbes.com here.
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