The Air Force will not be “able to make payroll” for the last pay period of Fiscal 2011 without enacted appropriations for the remainder of the fiscal year, Secretary Michael Donley told reporters Tuesday in Washington, D.C. Donley said the 1.4-percent military pay raise for Fiscal 2011 was “authorized” and the service has “been spending that, but it’s not funded” with an appropriation. Congress is still debating how to fund the government for the remainder of the fiscal year, which is already half over. Continuing resolutions have kept government operations going, including Defense Department activities. It’s not certain if Congress will spare the Pentagon from cuts for the rest of the fiscal year. The Air Force is covering the unanticipated costs of Japan relief and now the Libyan no-fly zone operation with money from operations and maintenance accounts. Donley said without additional funds to pay for those, the Air Force is “at further jeopardy through the year.”
Amid a high-profile recruiting crisis, Air Force leaders and experts have increasingly noted the challenging long-term trends the service will face in enticing young Americans to sign up—decreasing eligibility to serve, less propensity to do so, and less familiarity with the military. But while those same leaders say there’s no “silver…