Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) has blocked the confirmation of a new Air Force secretary until the Air Force responds to her concerns about a capability gap should the service choose to move forward with plans to divest its entire A-10 fleet. A congressional source told Inside the Air Force today the senator is concerned that until the F-35 is available, the Air Force does not have a sufficient replacement for the A-10's close-air-support mission. As a result, Ayotte has...
