Joint Basing Provision Raises McCain Ire

Joint Basing Provision Raises McCain Ire: Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), frequent Air Force critic and now presumed Republican candidate for President has instigated an investigation over whether senior Air Force officials had inappropriately assisted Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) and Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) in crafting a provision in the 2008 war supplemental that would outflank BRAC 2005 on the creation of joint bases, reports The Hill. The newspaper quotes a letter McCain sent Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England last month: "I believe it is inappropriate for senior Air Force officials to lobby legislators to delay or overturn BRAC decisions." To which England replied that DOD does not condone such actions and furthermore the Pentagon "strongly opposes" the provision. A spokesman for Inouye told The Hill that the two Senators want the Pentagon to "slow down and rethink the joint basing approach" because it may "create more problems than provide for military efficiency." The Air Force has the lead for six and is involved in 10 of the 12 joint bases identified in BRAC 2005. And, according to testimony last month before a Senate Appropriations subcommittee by Kathleen Ferguson, the Air Force's deputy assistant secretary for installations, the service has "expressed concern" over the proposed "execution strategy" that it feels might "impact mission." (Indeed, Air Force officials complained to Congress last year that the service needed more time to assess the impact.) However, she asserted that USAF "is not advocating any position that would inhibit carrying out any BRAC recommendations." Meanwhile, the Air Force is investigating the matter.

6/27/2008

On the Record

Mission One
"The health and safety of our pilots—all of our pilots—is our utmost priority. Our operational flight surgeons and our medical staff interact with our pilots on a daily basis."
—Brig. Gen. Daniel Wyman, Air Combat Command command surgeon, speaking to reporters during a teleconference, May 9, 2012. He was emphasizing that the Air Force is doing all it can to ensure the safety of F-22 pilots as service officials continue to home in on the cause of why some Raptor pilots have experienced hypoxia-like symptoms in the cockpit like difficulty concentrating, fatigue, headaches, and nausea.

On the Record

Message to Congress
"If you give us force structure back, give us the money, too. Because the quickest way I know to a hollow force is to give us structure without money. Simple as that. . . . 'Make it work' is not a satisfactory solution."
—Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz articulating his message to lawmakers on the Air Force's Fiscal 2013 budget proposal during a speech at the Stimson Center in Washington, D.C., May 1, 2012. The Air Force leadership has proposed reducing force structure and personnel next fiscal year in order to maintain a ready and capable force as the service absorbs significant spending cuts.