Posted on 04/12/2013 11:36:52 PM PDT by DakotaGator
BOX ELDER, SD - The B-1 Bombers at Ellsworth Air Force Base won't be flying anytime soon.
"Our local combat squadron, the 37th combat squadron will not fly between now, and right now we're planning until October first," 28th Bomb Wing Colonel Kevin Kennedy said.
Because of sequestration the military is coping with close to $500 billion in cuts to its budget over the next decade. The groundings will help Air Combat Command cut a total of 45 thousand flight hours across the board.
"Bottom line, though, this is something that we need to do to make sure we're ready for the fight down range," Kennedy said.
B-1's from Ellsworth's 34th Bomb Squadron are currently deployed overseas and are not affected by the grounding, yet.
"The 34th will maintain their combat readiness as they continue to fight. But when they come home they will enter into the same status as the 37th," Kennedy said...
(Excerpt) Read more at keloland.com ...
Same here. Alaska.
Interesting times.
oh well...
how much does that save?
The sequestor was to HURT military and social programs. It was not meant to be actually passed.
(or so I hear)
I am curious what social programs have been cut?
I have not seen a one.
PING!
But I do not doubt that in the long run it will cost more money to restore the aircraft to operational status and re-certify the aircrews.
What will we use should North Korea attack the US?
At the rate 0bama is disabling our defenses, NK will be able to invade us after they nuke us.
Amazing how quickly our strategic forces are being crippled! And tactical forces aren’t far behind.
Now what would do you think our enemies, like say...North Korea, be thinking about now?!
Having been in the Air Force....let me detail how the rest of the episode develops. When Sarge and Captain Joe are told about no air operations...for maybe four months. What exactly do you do each day now?
Captain Joe arranges for a golf tournament to be held every single week, with all the ‘down’ pilots now competing. The commander actually lets the guys go at two in the afternoon daily...to golf. By the end of summer....three of the pilots are actually perfecting their game and are considering going Pro.
Sarge? He’s running the new softball league that now has games at 7AM, 10AM, Noon, and 2PM. The maintenance guys are playing at least two games a day. Bowling becomes a big deal....with guys playing a dozen games a week.
Airman Gus? He’s getting a two-hour lunch break. He’s rebuilding a car engine every week over at the base hobby shop and reselling the vehicle for $2k profit.
Major Wanda has lots of free time to roam the officers club at lunch, and hustles up various poker games that consume six to eight hours a week. She’s later accused of cheating at poker and banned from the O-club.
Finally, Marvin...the owner of the motel outside the gate....notices a larger trend of folks renting a room for lunch for three hours with their liaisons.
Sure. White House tours for school kids was cut.
Kim Un does Happy Dance!
Yes. And they’ll probably do it using fake passports to save money.
Pull all anti terror funding from NYC, Seattle,Chicago, LA, Boston and San FRan.
Yep. We applied through our congresscritter...*passed* the secret service background check...got the confirmation in the mail. I’m still PO’ed. They contacted me yesterday and said they could get me tickets for a private tour of the Rose Garden [ an offer they gave to all those who were cancelled.] I said *no* to their offer and mumbled something about the prez could have a $95M golf outing and that I find something horribly wrong with the way they do *business* down there.
Thanks. I needed that ;-)
More proof of 0bama’s loathing of America and the spineless Republicans giving in.
May God have mercy on the United States.
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