REPORT ON CLOSE AIR SUPPORT ALTERNATIVES

SEC. 108. REPORT ON CLOSE AIR SUPPORT ALTERNATIVES (a) Assessment.— (1) The Secretary of Defense shall conduct an independent assessment of Army and Air Force studies and analyses of close air support aircraft alternatives for meeting the military requirements of the United States (A) for the interim period between the date of the completion of the assessment and the year 2000, and (B) for the period after such year. (2) In conducting such assessment, the Secretary shall consider both the development of new aircraft and the modification of exist-102 STAT. 2626 ing aircraft, including the A–7 Plus Strikefighter, the F/A–16, the AV–8B, and the A–10 aircraft in current or modified configuration. (3) In conducting such assessment, the Secretary shall also address the following issues: (A) Cost. (B) Development and production schedules. (C) Technical risks. (D) Manpower requirements. (E) Force structure. (F) Five-year funding profiles. (G) Cost effectiveness. (H) Military effectiveness. (b) Operational Test Plan.—The Director of Defense Operational Test and Evaluation shall develop an operational test plan for a competitive fly-off of alternative aircraft for the close air support mission. The Director shall complete the development of such plan no later than March 31, 1989. In developing such plan, the Director shall consult with the Air Force Test and Evaluation Center, the Army Operational Testing and Evaluation Activity, and the Marine Corps Operational Test and Evaluation Activity. (c) Transfer Feasibility.—The Secretary of Defense shall assess the feasibility of transferring, no later than fiscal year 1992, the close air support mission from the Air Force to the Army. In conducting such assessment, the Secretary shall consider the cost, schedules, five-year funding profiles, manpower requirements, and force structure implications of such a transfer. (d) Reports.—Not later than March 31, 1989, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the Committees on Armed Services and the Committees on Appropriations of the Senate and the House of Representatives an interim report on the matters referred to in subsections (a) through (c). The Secretary shall submit a final report on such matters to those Committees not later than December 31, 1989. Such reports shall be submitted in both classified and unclassified form.