US Air Force Plays 'Shell Game', Fails to Make Required Reductions - McCain

A US Defense Department memo required the Air Force to cut its budget at the headquarters by 20 percent and cut lower priority functions. However, the Air Force simply moved the money, Senator John McCain said.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The US Air Force failed to cut the budget and staff by 20 percent at its Headquarters as directed by the Defense Secretary, US Senator John McCain said in a letter to Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James.

“The 20-percent headquarters reductions were meant to make Defense Department operations more efficient while saving money for American taxpayers,” McCain stated. “But the conduct of the Air Force in response to this guidance seems to have produced no actual staff reductions and yielded no actual savings.”

A US Defense Department memo required the Air Force to cut its budget at the headquarters by 20 percent, cut lower priority functions and attempt to cut the number of employees by 20 percent in order to streamline management.

McCain pointed out in the letter that there were no reductions in staff or budget costs. Rather, McCain said, the Air Force simply moved Air Force Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Agency from headquarters to the Air Combat Command.

Similarly, McCain noted, the Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center was subordinated to another force in the service.

“In reality, the Air Force pursued a shell game that simply moved money to fund the same positions elsewhere in the service,” McCain said.

McCain said the US Senate Armed Services Committee he chairs has received no reprogramming budget requests from the Air Force for the changes, and the Committee will continue to monitor whether the Air Force is compliant with the required reductions.