Officials Call Air Force Ads “Outrageous”
The U.S. Air Force’s new “Above All” advertising campaign, a $25 million endeavor, has not been able to rise above the clamor in Washington.
Pentagon officials, some of them expressing indignation, say the ads are geared towards generating funds. It is against the law for the U.S. armed forces to solicit money.The chairman of the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., called the campaign “outrageous,” according to a report by the Los Angeles Times.
The television ads, which have run on the History Channel, stoke national security concerns with references to the Chinese army and terrorists, but officials charge the placements resemble a lobbying effort to boost funding. Even if the ads genuinely target recruitment, officials argue, their existence is questionable given that the Air Force has had no trouble meeting recruiting goals.
“It’s designed to be a little provocative, to create a dialogue, to engage, so that a significant portion of the public is informed about what we do for America so as to help people join our team,” Maj. Gen. William Chambers, communications director for the Air Force, told the Times. But Murtha and other officials, including Rep. Allen Boyd, D-Fla., question the Air Force’s intentions, weary of what they consider an aggressive campaign in recent times to update its aging squadrons. Murtha, according to the Times, has written Defense Secretary Robert Gates, raising questions about Air Force motives. Gates, who has not addressed the issue with Air Force officials, has asked the two sides to talk, the Times said.
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