The Air Force will cease flying at Nellis AFB, Nev., from the end of May through October, except for F-35 testing, due to sequestration-related budget cuts, according to a key general.
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| Air Force Lt. Gen. Burton Field. Photo: Air Force. |
Air Force Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, Plans and Requirements Lt. Gen. Burton Field said yesterday at an Air Force Association breakfast in Arlington, Va., the service is cancelling the last three weeks of weapons school and won’t do the last phase of mission deployment. Field said the Air Force will instead support the F-35 program and will continue to fly some airplanes that help support that testing, whether they are “aggressor” aircraft or others. The F-35 program is a key Defense Department effort and is developed by Lockheed Martin [LMT].
Field said the Air Force was forced to prioritize after being told to cut flying hours by 30 percent. After deciding to protect flying hours in Japan and on the Korean Peninsula, Field said the air service was “about out of money.” With what little money it had left, Field said the Air Force put it toward the early stage of pilot and navigator training, leaving Nellis AFB to take the hit.
Nellis AFB is one of the largest fighter bases in the world, according to the Air Force. Nellis AFB conducts advanced combat training, performs operational test and evaluation and develops tactics. A number of exercises, including the Red Flag high-intensity, air-to-air combat exercise, have been cancelled due to sequestration-related budget cuts.
Sequestration is the $1 trillion-plus in decade-long spending reductions across the federal budget enacted into law.