Not related to USNA, but here is how it is affecting the National Guard...so far:
AT was moved from off site to now be on site. While much easier on the soldiers, it does not exercise the deployability of our units near as well as actually packing up and moving operations to another location,. This type of deployment is quite different for a state mission than it is for OCONUS mobilization. Sequestration will negative affect this type of training.
Flight hours have been cut 50% for the rest of the FY. Staff aviators will fly only for currency (ie once every 90 days). Junior aviators who need the experience will get enough to get their minimums. Senior aviators, who can afford to not fly as often will get something in between. No mission specific training will take place. Only progression and basic tasks.
When the furloughs take place, our full time technician dual force (I am one of them) will be forced to work a four day work week and take a 20% cut in pay until the sequester ends. We are dual status, meaning we are required to be a member of the local Army National Guard unit as a condition of our employment. We ALL get paid less money as a technician than we would as an active duty soldier at our current rank. The country is already getting us for a bargain. For some, this may be the straw that breaks the camel's back. Some won't be able to afford the cut. We may lose some of those who have skills marketable outside the guard. At a minimum, it is a huge moral squasher.
Our maintenance parts budget was cut back in October to 1/2 what it was last year, Last year we had only 6 HH-60Ms and half a year to spend it. This year, we have 6 HH-60Ms and 6 CH-47Ds with half the money. We are almost broke for parts with 6 months to go. The nyumber of write ups on our books has probably doubled.
Contracting money in many places has been cut off. With two aircraft still in reset, subcontractors cannot finish subcomponents for the reset facility. We fear having our unfinished aircraft unwillingly held hostage by the reset facility.
Every day now we are hearing more bad news. I understand that some (most?) of the American people want to cut the military, and particularly military civilians. After all, we are a bunch of lazy, overpaid government employees with no skills. We create bureaucracy and live off the teat of the industrial military complex.
But here is my preemptive "I told you so." This summer when hurricane season comes, and we don't have enough proficient crews or aircraft to man even 1/2 of our aircraft for a hurricane relief mission, heads are going to roll. But far worse than that is the fact that people in our state or neighboring states may suffer due to the loss of readiness of the National Guard.
Before Iraq was closed down, 60% of the OCONUS deployed forces were reserve or national guard. Active duty units will have to take up the slack as our predeployment training is extended to catch us up to where we were before. For you guys in the Navy, that will probably mean more IAs.
I have heard Hannity and Rush say the sequester is just a scare tactic. While it may be a scare tactic, it is not JUST a scare tactic. I am telling you, there is a very real danger and reality to what is happening. We will get through it. We are soldiers, but dismissing this as inconsequential is disingenuous.
