Maintenance, Afghan, Guns vs Butter

AFA Member, Congressional Staffers, Civic Leaders, DOCA members, three pieces to bring to your attention.

First, a small piece in the Fayetteville Observer about Army aviation. A typical Aviation Battalion flies about 3,000 hours per year. In Afghanistan, the same Battalion is flying 25,000 – 30,000 hours per year. They are doing it because of the great maintenance crews – mechanics, engine troops, fuels, supply, etc. The same thing is happening in the Air Force and the other Services’ air arms. We all owe a debt of gratitude to the men and women behind the machines and fliers that are getting the mission done. You can find a link to the piece on our website at: http://fayobserver.com/Articles/2009/12/07/958373

Secondly, GEN (R) Barry McCaffrey has again done the nation a service with his most recent report on Afghanistan. What I liked about this report is that he gives the reader a better understanding of the military situation and the challenges facing us in the country. Like many items he has done, the piece is a slightly political. Warning it is long – 11 pages on my computer. You can find the link on our website at: http://www.afa.org/edop/2009/McCaffrey_November2009.pdf

Finally, a recent Wall Street Journal editorial caught my attention. And … it is very political. But what I want you to notice is the graph on the left side of the piece – about half way down. It is a graph on what the US has spent for its defense … as opposed to what we have spent on non-defense items over the past 40 years. The point of the graph is to question the balance in our current situation. Warning again: the piece is political. You can find a link to it on our website at: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704107104574573711965511326.html
For your consideration,

Mike

Michael M. Dunn
Lt General (Ret), USAF
President/CEO
Air Force Association