WASHINGTON — Troubling images flash across the screen, showing black-clad terrorists, tsunami-flooded villages and the Chinese army.
"Only the United States Air Force has the speed, power and vision to defend our nation for the century ahead," the announcer intones as an F-22 fighter jet flies over a snowy mountaintop. "U.S. Air Force, above all."
There is nothing unusual about seeing military recruiting ads right now. But in Congress and the Pentagon, many believe that the new Air Force ads are less about recruiting and more about lobbying for extra money.
Some lawmakers perceive the ads as an Air Force effort to acquire newer equipment. And, in rare criticism from others in the military, some Pentagon officials believe that the ads are meant to buck Bush administration spending priorities and to push the Air Force's agenda. "It doesn't look like a recruiting ad," said a senior Pentagon official. "The Air Force does appear to be pushing the envelope."
The ads are part of a $25-million campaign called "Above All," for television, radio, the Internet and newspapers. Unlike traditional recruiting campaigns, the ads do not highlight what the military offers individuals who join. Instead, they stress how the Air Force protects the nation.
Some Pentagon officials are asking why the Air Force needs recruiting ads, since the service has no trouble meeting its recruiting goals and is supposed to be downsizing, not growing.
The slogan also puzzles some military officials. One Defense official said "Above All" evoked the phrase "uber alles" from the national anthem used by Nazi Germany, which roughly translates to "above all."
Air Force officials reject all of those charges, defending their ads as an innovative, and needed, recruiting campaign.
"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," said Maj. Gen. William A. Chambers, Air Force communications director. The main target is not potential recruits, but adults who advise young people about whether to enlist, Chambers said.
The ads contain no explicit pitch to sign up, but they do refer viewers to a recruiting website, www.airforce.com.
The service has asked for more than $50 million to fund another round of "Above All" ads next year, as part of a $112.5-million advertising budget. Air Force officers said they brought in German language experts to make sure the "Above All" catchphrase did not evoke the words "uber alles" with German speakers.
