Senators have wasted precious little time in attempting to thwart Air Force plans to draw down the B-52 fleet, passing an amendment to the Fiscal 2007 defense budget request that would add nearly $2 billion over the next five years for the venerable bombers. The two Democratic Senators from North Dakota—Byron Dorgan and Kent Conrad—announced the amendment (co-sponsored by the Louisiana Senate delegation), saying in a joint statement that the B-52s at Minot AFB, N.D., and Barksdale AFB, La., are “still a tremendous asset for our military because they are cost-effective to maintain.” They noted, too, that USAF believes the old bombers have up to 30 more years of life left in them. According to Conrad, the B-52 is the “best bomb truck for the buck.”
When acting Air Force Secretary Gary A. Ashworth rescinded service-wide “Family Days” last week citing the need to build readiness, he left it up to commanders, directors, and supervisors to decide if they would still permit extra days off. Here’s how Air Force major commands are taking that guidance.