With federal lawmakers preparing to launch another battle over the federal defense budget, Boeing’s C-17 is again being targeted as an example of “pork barrel” waste on Capitol Hill.

It’s a theme repeated with increasing vigor in recent years as opponents of new Long Beach-built C-17 purchases argue that the 223 so far procured for the Air Force far exceed the nation’s military and humanitarian needs.

In a July 13 Congressional hearing, top Defense Department officials testified for nearly two hours that the nation’s existing fleet of C-17s and its predecessor, the Lockheed C-5, are sufficient for decades to come.

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