U.S. Air Force Cuts Will Be Deep

Photo: General Norton A. Schwartz

Air Force Chief: Cutting Units Is Painful But Necessary -- Washington Times

The Air Force’s top officer said Thursday that cutting seven squadrons and 10,000 troops over the next decade will be painful but necessary.

“We have no illusions that the road ahead is going to be easy,” Gen. Norton A. Schwartz, the Air Force chief of staff, said during a forum sponsored by the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.

“I do think it’s manageable if we all deal with this in an unemotional fashion.”

To meet the $487 billion in defense cuts mandated by Congress, the Air Force will lose seven squadrons and 10,000 personnel, he said.

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My Comment: General Schwartz's comments on what would happen if sequestration comes into play are revealing .....

.... Gen. Schwartz warned that another $600 billion in cuts required under a congressional deficit deal are “untenable” and would cause severe damage to the Air Force’s combat readiness.

“My shorthand for sequestration is surgery performed by a plumber - extremely high risk,” he said.

My suggestion to the General is that from what it looks like in Washington .... he better start preparing himself for just that.