A B-52H Stratofortress assigned to the 69th Bomb Squadron, Minot Air Force Base, N.D., prepares to receive fuel from a KC-135 Stratotanker over the Pacific Ocean during an international sinking exercise for Rim of the Pacific 2016 near Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, July 14, 2016.
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The Military Is Losing Air Superiority Because Pilots Aren’t Flying Enough
By Sarah Sicard
on July 27, 2016
Pilots, maintenance crews, and aircraft are suffering the effects of budget cuts.
Since sequestration began in 2013, the reduced number of hours flown by pilots, crews trained, and aircraft maintained has created a major problem: a lack of flight readiness across all the services. While the effect of budget constraints was not at first apparent, a rise in-flight mishaps, decreases in pilot retention, and increases in the number of aircraft that simply can’t fly have made it clear to policymakers that U.S. air superiority is suffering.
“The military is increasingly willing to speak up and say, ‘Yes, this is a real problem,’” House Armed Services Chairman Mac Thornberry, a Republican from Texas, told Task & Purpose in a recent interview.
http://taskandpurpose.com/military-losing-air-superiority-pilots-arent-flying-enough/
