Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.), speaking at a Montgomery Chamber of Commerce event on Feb. 16, said he does not believe Congress will go for another round of base closures since it is “still digesting the last BRAC,” reports the Maxwell-Gunter Dispatch. Others have taken an opposite view, at least they did almost two years ago before the economy took a nosedive. Some see a new BRAC as inevitable as the Pentagon strains under its budget and the services, certainly the Air Force, believe they still have excess infrastructure. In Shelby’s view, though, the focus should be on “challenges down the road” for our “over-stretched” military.
The Air Force is seeking funding to let its pilots fly a little more than 1.1 million hours in fiscal 2027, which would be the most in about four years. But even if Airmen actually do fly all 1.1 million hours, it would still be short of the 1.3 million…