Air Force seeks more flight hours to recover from 2013 stand down

From: Air Force Times

The Air Force is asking for a small increase in its flight hours as it still tries to dig itself out of a readiness hole dating back to a stand down of combat squadrons in 2013.

Seventeen combat squadrons were forced to stand down for three months, while additional squadrons faced reduced flying hours as a result of sequestration in 2013. More than 44,000 flying hours were cut. In addition, the Air Force was forced to cancel a weapons school pilot class and Red Flag exercises, leading to a drop in readiness and pilot proficiency that the service said would take years to recover.

The service's fiscal 2016 budget request, released on Feb. 2, calls on Congress to increase funding for flying hours to full capacity, along with ensuring Red Flag exercises and weapons school classes are up and running to focus "on full-spectrum combat readiness to succeed in a contested environment."

The Air Force is requesting $7.8 billion for 1,219,557 total flight hours, up 1.4 percent from the 1,202,971 enacted for fiscal 2015. Most of these hours, 903,338, are for the active duty with its fleet of 3,523 aircraft, according to Air Force budget documents. The Air Force Reserve would receive funding for 103,538 flying hours for 332 aircraft, while the Air National Guard would receive 212,675 flying hours for 1,064 aircraft.


"At (these) levels, we can maintain flying hours at maximum executable levels and fund weapon system sustainment at capacity, to keep us on the path to readiness recovery," Maj. Gen. James Martin, deputy assistant secretary for budget, said in unveiling the proposal on Feb. 2.

Total funding for flying hours, weapons system sustainment and major command capability funding makes up approximately 40 percent of the budget, or about $48.6 billion, a 9.5 percent increase from $44.4 billion in fiscal 2015.This number, in addition to flight hours, includes costs for space operations; cyber operations; intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; logistics; nuclear deterrence; search and rescue; and special operations.


"Recovery is not a short-term fix and will take years to fully rebuild," the Air Force's budget summary states. "To recover readiness to the required levels, the Air Force must react to personnel and operations tempo as well as adequately fund readiness programs such as flying hours, weapon system sustainment, ranges and simulators."

To compensate for this increase, the Air Force is again trying to cut its A-10 fleet, along with divesting EC-130H aircraft.

The Air Force would be forced to make additional cuts if sequestration returned, including eliminating 41,000 flying hours and other readiness cuts, cutting airmen and retiring the KC-10 Extender fleet, Martin said.

"We'd be forced to reduce funding in programs that support full-spectrum readiness, flying hours, weapons system sustainment, ranges, simulators and high-end training, such as combat flag exercises," Martin said.

http://www.airforcetimes.com/story/military/pentagon/2015/02/04/air-force-seeks-more-flight-hours-to-recover-from-2013-stand-down/22863401/