Sequestration Impact on the Navy

[OscarMyers]

Sequestration-Impacts on Our People and Our Navy

Its just beyond me how we have gotten to this point. Admiral Ferguson gives a broad overview how this will effect us. With the election season in full swing, I have a feeling this may happen. Both sides voting religiously along party lines to make the other look bad. Anyone seeing this doomsday scenario being contemplated in the fleet planning/ acquisition world?

 

[Brett327]

Just like the debt ceiling issue, this will get resolved in the 11th hour, narrowly averting disaster. The alternatives are too abhorrent to either side of the aisle.

 

[robav8r]

Just like the debt ceiling issue, this will get resolved in the 11th hour, narrowly averting disaster. The alternatives are too abhorrent to either side of the aisle.

NAVAIR/Acquisitions has been talking and planning for this (unofficially) for awhile now. I have seen "some" indications that it's now on the RADAR horizon of some of our more prominant law makers. I think the larger question is that even if sequestration is averted, what will take its place?

 

[BACONATOR]

Less funding for readiness/training, ie: flight hours? As it is, we fly a potentially catastrophically low amount of hours, that many are not even staying current (although this is a for a few different reasons, not just funding, but many of those reasons are directly and obliquely related), but further reducing our resources would only exacerbate this problem. Not to sound all doom and gloom, but if this happens, while I'm not saying ships will sink left and right, nor will aircraft fall out of the sky, I will certainly expect a lot more casualties and mishaps due to training accidents and poor proficiency, amongst all facets of the branch(es).

 

[Brett327]

There's going to have to be some combination of spending cuts and revenue increases, but the devil is in the details and I'm guessing there won't be much of an appetite for cooperation between parties or branches of government until well into 2013.

 

[LET73]

Compromise has to happen, and eventually the parties will realize that, suck it up, and come up with a temporary fix. I think the problem is that both parties have become so fixated on the differences that they don't see where they have common ground. It's a lot harder to negotiate when you think the other guy wants a completely different end state.

 

[bert]

Honestly, sequestration might be a good thing in the long run. Nothing else seems to be getting through to our political parties, so maybe shared misery can get them to see some reason.

Not going to be any fun around the spaces this year, but could make subsequent years easier. Better to have one year of severe pain than 10 more years of late budgets and half-assed planning.

 

[Jim123]

Honestly, sequestration might be a good thing in the long run. Nothing else seems to be getting through to our political parties, so maybe shared misery can get them to see some reason.

Not going to be any fun around the spaces this year, but could make subsequent years easier. Better to have one year of severe pain than 10 more years of late budgets and half-assed planning.

Rip the band-aid off... hmm... you make a good point.

 

[Renegade One]

Rip the band-aid off... hmm... you make a good point.

Reminds me of the Carter years...and this, too, shall pass.

Most memorable quote of that time for me was from the lips of my (then) CO in VF-213. Was interviewed on "20-20" (as I recall...which was an LA-based TV magazine of the day...think "60 Minutes" in a local market...):
"When I was a kid, I had two dreams...to command a fighter squadron, and to own a junk yard. Now I have both."

[Context: At the time, VF-213 had 8 of our 12 Block 90 F-14 aircraft in the hangar with "bare firewalls' due to engine shortages/mods/rework...a whole combination of things, I suppose...and we survived.]

 

[hscs]

2013 budget with sequestration will equal the 2006 budget - remember the defense budget has come up significantly for 13 straight years - unfortunately, we all have to learn how to live without OCO funding....

 

[xj220]

Compromise has to happen, and eventually the parties will realize that, suck it up, and come up with a temporary fix. I think the problem is that both parties have become so fixated on the differences that they don't see where they have common ground. It's a lot harder to negotiate when you think the other guy wants a completely different end state.

It'll really need to come from the base and people to vote for candidates that support this message. Until then, we'll see more of the same.

As far as the sequestration goes, I had a talk with my DH about this the other day. At what point do we cry uncle and say we can no longer support what's required? We've been dealing with the "do more with less" for a couple years now, but in reality there's a breaking point and I fear we're approaching that. Maybe it will be something like this that will provide the shock to the system and cause a "come to Jesus" moment.

 

[Brett327]

It's something all the service chiefs are aware of and worry about. It's in our institutional DNA to say that we can get the job done, no matter what. That's a big hurdle to overcome, particularly when there is interservice competition for resources.

 

[Lawman]

2013 budget with sequestration will equal the 2006 budget - remember the defense budget has come up significantly for 13 straight years - unfortunately, we all have to learn how to live without OCO funding....

Which might be acceptable... if we weren't currently 60K personnel deep in Afghanistan with another 20K in Kuwait as QRF in everything but name.

 

[HueyCobra8151]

I seem to remember us having pretty large manpower commitments around the globe in 2006 as well...

If sequestration results in us taking some good hard looks at where we can trim the fat, I don't think it would be bad.
Unfortunately all the people at the top are super-duper essential, so it will just end up with us telling PFC Timmy to sight-in on the target in training, and Gunny will stand behind him yelling "butta-butta jam" to simulate firing. Budget crisis solved.

 

[707guy]

Well if I had my way the cuts would all come from "social programs" and the like - the DoD's budget would be the last place on the list to look for cuts. Although I'm all for the Air Force having to close a golf course or two...