A group of Republican senators is criticizing the Air Force’s effort to shift 18 A-10 Thunderbolt II planes into backup aircraft inventory (BAI) status. “This step will damage the readiness of the Air Force’s A-10 fleet and reduce our nation’s close-air support capability at a time when the need for effective close air support is more apparent than ever,” the senators wrote in a Feb. 25 letter to Defense Secretary Ashton Carter. Senators Kelly Ayotte (N.H.), Tom Cotton (Ark.), Lindsey Graham (S.C.), Thom Tillis (N.C.), Roger Wicker (Miss.), Mike Crapo (Idaho), Johnny Isakson (Ga.), and Richard Burr (N.C.) signed the letter. The Air Force’s plan, as expressed in its proposed 2016 budget request, would move nine A-10s from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., six from Moody Air Force Base, Ga., and three from Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., into BAI fairly quickly. A total of 164 planes would be retired by Oct. 1, 2016. The entire A-10 inventory would be divested by Oct. 1, 2019.