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'Wiped Out': Air Force losing pilots and planes to cuts, scrounging for spare parts
Fox News.com ^ | May 14, 2016 | Jennifer Griffin, Lucas Tomlinson

Posted on 05/14/2016 5:08:16 PM PDT by Kaslin

EXCLUSIVE: It was just a few years ago, in March 2011, when a pair of U.S. Air Force B-1 bombers – during a harsh winter storm – took off from their base in South Dakota to fly across the world to launch the air campaign in Libya, only 16 hours after given the order.

Today, many in the Air Force are questioning whether a similar mission could still be accomplished, after years of budget cuts that have taken an undeniable toll. The U.S. Air Force is now short 4,000 airmen to maintain its fleet, short 700 pilots to fly them and short vital spare parts necessary to keep their jets in the air. The shortage is so dire that some have even been forced to scrounge for parts in a remote desert scrapheap known as “The Boneyard.”

“It's not only the personnel that are tired, it's the aircraft that are tired as well,” Master Sgt. Bruce Pfrommer, who has over two decades of experience in the Air Force working on B-1 bombers, told Fox News.

Fox News visited two U.S. Air Force bases – including South Dakota’s Ellsworth Air Force Base located 35 miles from Mount Rushmore, where Pfrommer is stationed – to see the resource problems first-hand, following an investigation into the state of U.S. Marine Corps aviation last month.

Many of the Airmen reported feeing “burnt out” and “exhausted” due to the current pace of operations, and limited resources to support them. During the visit to Ellsworth earlier this week, Fox News was told only about half of the 28th Bomb Wing’s fleet of bombers can fly.

(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...


TOPICS: Front Page News
KEYWORDS: aerospace; airforce; aviation; usaf
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1 posted on 05/14/2016 5:08:16 PM PDT by Kaslin
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To: Kaslin

All a part of the greater program to diminish America. Disarm, Destroy, bankrupt- financially and morally Demoralize ..... while empowering Islam.


2 posted on 05/14/2016 5:12:10 PM PDT by himno hero (hadnuff)
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To: Kaslin

The government subsidies of consumer spending are more important than ANY military program to ALL the media including Fox.
They don’t get a cut from military spending.

But no economy can maintain “Bread and Circus”, including us.


3 posted on 05/14/2016 5:12:48 PM PDT by mrsmith (Dumb sluts: Lifeblood of the Media, Backbone of the Democrat/RINO Party!)
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To: Kaslin

I’m sure the FOX journalists who wrote this piece was proud to that ‘investigative piece.’ I hope President TRUMP pulls the plug on this kind of reporting.

Aiding and abetting our enemies has got to stop.


4 posted on 05/14/2016 5:16:35 PM PDT by stars & stripes forever (Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord. Psalm 33:12)
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To: Kaslin

They are short all those pilots due to diversity level requirements. Not enough people of color and woman making it through flight school. The Air Force hopes with an intense recruiting drive for the remainder of the year they will be able to get those numbers turned around and we will be back in the war fighting business by 2020. //sarcasm off//


5 posted on 05/14/2016 5:18:53 PM PDT by mosaicwolf (Strength and Honor)
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To: Kaslin

Deja vu all over again. Commies love to spend our budget on their social engineering.


6 posted on 05/14/2016 5:19:23 PM PDT by VTenigma (The Democratic party is the party of the mathematically challenged)
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To: Kaslin
ALL thanks to Obama and the Obamaites in the Pentagon, the VA, Federal Gov’t, state gov’ts, immigrants both legal ands illegal
7 posted on 05/14/2016 5:22:18 PM PDT by SandRat (Duty - Honor - Country! What else needs said?)
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To: Kaslin

Carter, Redeaux, cept Carter did it in 4 years.

I witnessed it, allot of Planes were not Ready.


8 posted on 05/14/2016 5:24:14 PM PDT by corbe (mystified, still. But never hillary)
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To: Kaslin
Nothing to see here.

Just part of Obama's FUNDAMENTAL TRANSFORMATION.


9 posted on 05/14/2016 5:25:56 PM PDT by Iron Munro (Islam is Islam. Democracy is the train we ride to our ultimate victory. (Recep Erdogan))
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To: Kaslin

Trump! Trump! Trump!


10 posted on 05/14/2016 5:26:12 PM PDT by NonValueAdded (Keep out of our bathrooms)
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To: stars & stripes forever

Trust me, the Sovs and PRC knew this long before this story was published. Kodos to FOX for reporting it. It’s time everyone knew.


11 posted on 05/14/2016 5:29:38 PM PDT by Strac6 (The primaries are only the semi-finals. ALL THAT MATTERS IS DEFEATING HILLARY IN NOVEMBER.)
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To: Kaslin

There’s a bumper sticker that’s popular among teachers. It says “It will be a great day when our schools get all the money they need, and the air force has to hold a bake sale to buy a bomber.”

Well, the US has the highest education spending per-student of any country except Switzerland, and the Air Force is scrounging for parts. Somehow, I don’t consider this to be a “great day”.


12 posted on 05/14/2016 5:30:27 PM PDT by Ellendra (Those who kill without reason cannot be reasoned with.)
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To: Kaslin

after WW2 the forces stationed in Japan sent ships to the war islands to scrounge parts from wrecks.


13 posted on 05/14/2016 5:32:34 PM PDT by bravo whiskey (Never bring a liberal gun law to a gun fight,)
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To: Kaslin

But we have Trillions for Gibsmedat takers and Illegal Invaders.


14 posted on 05/14/2016 5:33:54 PM PDT by SkyPilot ("I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6)
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To: All

Along with border security, rebuilding our military will be priority one for Trump...The Army is smallest since WWII...The Navy spends way too much time on eco sh*t for the Pentagon...The Air Force...Well, you read it here...Marine Corps is fighting trying to keep combat units from becoming coed...

It’s a total mess...

GO TRUMP!!!!! VOTE TRUMP!!!!!!!


15 posted on 05/14/2016 5:36:02 PM PDT by JBW1949 (I'm really PC....PATRIOTICALLY CORRECT!!!!)
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To: stars & stripes forever

The only people that didn’t know what was in this article were the American people. Our enemies knew this long ago - why do you think Putin and everyone else is doing what they want and ignoring us?


16 posted on 05/14/2016 5:39:08 PM PDT by Spktyr (Overwhelmingly superior firepower and the willingness to use it is the only proven peace solution.)
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To: corbe
Carter, Redeaux, cept Carter did it in 4 years.

I witnessed it, allot of Planes were not Ready.

You should have seen how we kept the 54 Titan II ICBMs on Alert. We used chewing gum and bailing wire to fix non-critical items that, when added together, made bad things happen. The A/C systems were allowed to get so bad that we would watch the tank pressures (the Titan II was liquid fuel and oxidizer) get to the point of having to call the bird off Alert because the liquids were starting to boil inside the airframe.

On base was just as bad. Carter ordered that all A/C systems in the Summer and heating in the Winter be turned off after business hours. The WH ruled that our dorms were under that rule so during the Summers in Wichita, Kansas (100+ degrees every day in the Summer) we had no cooling in our barracks. The inside temps were normally about 110+ degrees even at night. They never turned the systems on during the day because the Base Commander said we should all be at work and that all of us who were off for "crew rest" or night shifts didn't matter.

I detested Carter then and still do today.

17 posted on 05/14/2016 5:40:35 PM PDT by OldMissileer (Atlas, Titan, Minuteman, PK. Winners of the Cold War)
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To: Kaslin
People may flame me but the GOP is just as at fault for this as the DEMs maybe more so since it's been an ongoing issue since the early 1990's. Why? Who sets End Troop Strengths? Who says this projects and this branch of the armed forces gets what amount of funding? Who has say whether a Secretary of Defense or a Branch Secretary is fit for office? Who approves officers commissions and enlisted promotions from E-7 on up? Congress does.

It hasn't mattered who was SML or SOH since the days of Bush and Sec of Def Cheney because the results have been the same. Bill Clinton's damage occurred under a two house GOP majority for six of his eight years especially after Boehner ousted Newt.

Until Congress is disciplined by lifetime Term Limits many issues will not be addressed no matter who is POTUS, SML, or SOH. Who will be blamed? Ones at mid officer ranks of 05 & 06 pay grades just as they were blamed for the post 9/11 incident where two of our carriers failed to get underway due to readiness issues. You can't fix what ain't funded to be fixed. Congress should have taken Poppy Bush, Clinton, W, and Obama to the woodshed on readiness issues and the secretaries along with JCOS should have had the guts to say hey we need funding and went public if necessary.

18 posted on 05/14/2016 5:48:40 PM PDT by cva66snipe ((Two Choices left for U.S. One Nation Under GOD or One Nation Under Judgment? Which one say ye?))
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To: cva66snipe

Getting involved in useless wars in the Middle East hasn’t helped.


19 posted on 05/14/2016 5:49:33 PM PDT by dfwgator
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To: dfwgator
Getting involved in useless wars in the Middle East hasn’t helped.

For the most part I agree with a few exceptions. We should have left Iran and Iraq fighting. They left us alone and Israel took care of the threats in a matter of hours by themselves. Yemen and Somalia should be in smoldering ruins for their attacks upon the U.S. and the Sauds we should have shook free from several decades ago. However our ring kissing hand holding presidents had other plans same with our dealings with China.

20 posted on 05/14/2016 5:57:03 PM PDT by cva66snipe ((Two Choices left for U.S. One Nation Under GOD or One Nation Under Judgment? Which one say ye?))
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