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Navy Blue Angels Fly Into Era of Budget Questions
PENSACOLA NAVAL AIR STATION, Fla. (AP) — The Navy’s Blue Angels have been thrilling audiences for more than six decades with their acrobatic flying in fighter planes, but a new era of federal budget worries and proposed deficit cutting has some inside and outside the military raising questions about the millions it costs to produce their shows. Some want the popular shows grounded and some readers of the Air Force Times newspaper — most of them active or retired service members — recently listed… (www.salon.com) Más...Sort type: [Top] [Newest]
I like to see both Air Force and Navy demo teams keep flying. At least I know where my hard earned money is going too!
It may be time to stand down.
Fuel costs and more.....no thanks to the D.C. or 51st ward deep thinkers...
Fuel costs and more.....no thanks to the D.C. or 51st ward deep thinkers...
If they pull funding for the Navy Flight Demonstration Team, can we identify who "they" are, so we can help reduce funding for programs they value, but we do not?
If we eliminate SecDef Leon Panetta's weekly roundtrips to his California home and business, we could save enough to partially fund the Blues. The 89th Special Airlift Wing estimates the cost of operating a GV at $3200.00. The actual cost is near $6000.00. My math says he spends 3.2 million tax payer dollars per year for his personal comfort. Penetta does reimburse about $52,000.00 to the goverment for the privilege. Sounds fair, if you're a bureaucrat.
Congress requires that anyone on the list of Presidential Succession (Sec. of Defense is #5) must fly on military or government aircraft and must be in constant contact with his dept., and the military. You want that changed, it has to start in the Congress.
Wesley, I concede the point that Panetta must be in constant contact with the POTUS and the Pentagon. The difference lies in the fact he is not a Senator or Congressman representing a district or state. He works for the federal government in Washington D.C. If he doesn't want to move his family to DC maybe he should reconsider his options. He can still perform all the OFFICIAL travel he deems necessary.
To your other point on service consolidation. Each service has its own culture. Imagine an Air Force pilot fitting into a Marine Rifle platoon. There are different mission requirements that make little sense to soldiers outside of the cultures. That being said, there has been an effort to integrate logistics. There is greater co-operation in weapons system development and procurement. However, please think of that Marine Platoon Leader fittings into a Fighter Squadron, or for that matter even understanding how it operates.
The military presence in communities is an important part of the economic engine. When too much consolidation takes place, it tends to force the area to forsake other forms of economic growth, and concentrate their energies on appeasing the most important customer. Time and time again this has devastated communities when the military downsizes or leaves. In the case of military basing it's best to spread them out for economic and strategic reasons.
To your other point on service consolidation. Each service has its own culture. Imagine an Air Force pilot fitting into a Marine Rifle platoon. There are different mission requirements that make little sense to soldiers outside of the cultures. That being said, there has been an effort to integrate logistics. There is greater co-operation in weapons system development and procurement. However, please think of that Marine Platoon Leader fittings into a Fighter Squadron, or for that matter even understanding how it operates.
The military presence in communities is an important part of the economic engine. When too much consolidation takes place, it tends to force the area to forsake other forms of economic growth, and concentrate their energies on appeasing the most important customer. Time and time again this has devastated communities when the military downsizes or leaves. In the case of military basing it's best to spread them out for economic and strategic reasons.
I guess that's how Pelosi got her's, huh?
At least Panetta is using a GV. Her Royal Highness used a B757 to haul her butt to SFO. Her booze and food bill was nearly as high as Panetta fuel bill.
OK, here is an idea.... I'm sure it will ruffle some feathers, but lets take a look at a few facts.....
The US Uniformed Services are 7 in number. Consisting of the 5 Military or Armed Services and the NOAA and NHS commissioned corps.
The five Armed Services, being the Army, Navy, Marines, Coast Guard and Air Force have a combined total of 1.85 million men and women serving, plus another 650,000 civilian and locally hired employees. We have a total of 740 bases world-wide, in 63 different countries. We have between 800 and 1,000 bases world-wide including those in the US.
The Air Force has planes, as does the Navy and the Marines and the Army and the Coast Guard. Many of them are the same planes, which means multiple maintenance facilities, with spare parts stored in multiple facilities. The Joint Strike Fighter, the F35 will be delivered to the Air Force, the Navy and the Marines, each of which will have to have trained personnel to service it, each of which will have to maintain spare parts, each of which will have to train enlisted personnel to service the planes.
Now, imagine for a moment if we could do away with the Air Force, the Navy and the Marines and instead replace them with a single branch. Instead of having a Marine Corps Air Station in Beaufort County South Carolina, another in New River, North Carolina, yet another in Cherry Point, North Carolina and an Air Force Base in Columbia, South Carolina, another in Charlotte, North Carolina, another in Charleston, South Carolina, another in Greenville, South Carolina...and on and on and on, I could list the 21 Air Force installations in South Carolina, as well as those of the Army, Navy and Marines. There is a military base in every state in the union, save New Hampshire and Rhode Island.
Well, lets consolidate them, do away with the duplications and the repetitiveness that is running rampant.
Imagine the savings.
The US Uniformed Services are 7 in number. Consisting of the 5 Military or Armed Services and the NOAA and NHS commissioned corps.
The five Armed Services, being the Army, Navy, Marines, Coast Guard and Air Force have a combined total of 1.85 million men and women serving, plus another 650,000 civilian and locally hired employees. We have a total of 740 bases world-wide, in 63 different countries. We have between 800 and 1,000 bases world-wide including those in the US.
The Air Force has planes, as does the Navy and the Marines and the Army and the Coast Guard. Many of them are the same planes, which means multiple maintenance facilities, with spare parts stored in multiple facilities. The Joint Strike Fighter, the F35 will be delivered to the Air Force, the Navy and the Marines, each of which will have to have trained personnel to service it, each of which will have to maintain spare parts, each of which will have to train enlisted personnel to service the planes.
Now, imagine for a moment if we could do away with the Air Force, the Navy and the Marines and instead replace them with a single branch. Instead of having a Marine Corps Air Station in Beaufort County South Carolina, another in New River, North Carolina, yet another in Cherry Point, North Carolina and an Air Force Base in Columbia, South Carolina, another in Charlotte, North Carolina, another in Charleston, South Carolina, another in Greenville, South Carolina...and on and on and on, I could list the 21 Air Force installations in South Carolina, as well as those of the Army, Navy and Marines. There is a military base in every state in the union, save New Hampshire and Rhode Island.
Well, lets consolidate them, do away with the duplications and the repetitiveness that is running rampant.
Imagine the savings.