President Barack Obama dismissed the F-22 fighter jets used during Monday’s airstrikes against terrorist targets in Syria as “outdated and unnecessary” in a speech on July 21, 2009.
“I reject the notion that we have to waste billions of taxpayer dollars on outdated and unnecessary defense projects to keep this nation secure” Obama said. “That’s why I’m grateful that the Senate just voted against an additional $1.75 billion to buy F-22 fighter jets that military experts and members of both parties say we do not need.”
He added that “at a time when we’re fighting two wars and facing a serious deficit, this would have been an inexcusable waste of money. Every dollar of waste in our defense budget is a dollar we can’t spend to support our troops, or prepare for future threats, or protect the American people. Our budget is a zero-sum game, and if more money goes to F-22s, it is our troops and citizens who lose.”
Obama even went as far as asking officials at Elmendorf Air Force to remove an F-22 from the hangar where he would be speaking before giving a speech there in November 2009 according to Foreign Policy.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday that the United States used the F-22 to carry out its airstrikes against ISIS and Khorasan targets inside Syria.
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett
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