Panel recommends reducing active-duty Air Force

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP-EXCITE

By Steve Liewer

A cash-strapped Air Force needs to shift some personnel from its active-duty force to the less-expensive Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve, a high-level panel recommended Thursday morning during congressional hearings in Washington D.C.

The report followed nine months of deliberations — including 19 days of public hearings in six states, featuring 154 witnesses — by the National Commission on the Structure of the Air Force.

In all, the commission recommended 42 policy changes, from adjusting the way the Air Force calculates personnel costs to easing the “up-or-out” promotion policy in career fields where training and development is exceptionally expensive.

Several of the changes would better integrate active-duty troops with the Air Force Reserve, making it easier for airmen to move back and forth between full- and part-time status.


FULL story at link.


Read more: http://www.omaha.com/article/20140130/NEWS/140139870/1707#panel-recommends-reducing-active-duty-air-force

[KamaAina]

1. That will not go over well with the fundies who abound in the Air Force

particularly at the Air Force Academy.

[okaawhatever]

6. We'll tell them going to reserve status will give the more time for God's work. nt

[Swede Atlanta]

2. Nor for the aerospace industry that love over-budget and decades late projects......

This is a good sign that we cannot afford to continue to spend more than the next 10 countries combined on defense.

We are slowly establishing energy independence and, together with Canada, we could be energy independent so no need to fight wars far off in the Middle East. Let Europe, China, India and Japan fight to protect their oil interests. We need to quickly move beyond fossil fuels to renewables.

We have no threats on our borders. Neither Canada nor Mexico represent a military threat to us.

We should focus on cyber threats.

As well we need to be looking at the size of the Navy, Marines and Army.

We should be shrinking our military to meet today's "real" threats and those likely to exist over the next 10 years not have resources to fight 25 wars on 25 fronts which is what bloats the military budget.

[Fred Sanders]

3. No more wars, no more need for a massive standing army - DUH!

But that will not prevent the right wing military cheerleaders and warmongers from protesting viciously, mainly because they see their own lucrative living in the media propping the hate and lies up also being cut.

[okaawhatever]

7. Ya know, I'm wondering how overstaffed the Air Force is. I don't think their numbers went up

anywhere near the Army, Navy & Marine Corps. While I am grateful for the effort to trim costs and the size, I'm wondering if the real savings isn't with the other branches. We'll see.

[another_liberal]

4. Start with a few hundred fucking generals!

It's about goddamned time!

[Spitfire of ATJ]

5. Salon did quite an exposé a few years ago on military waste....

http://www.salon.com/2012/12/12/7_absurd_ways_the_military_wastes_taxpayer_dollars/