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Return to Article: Adjutants general take aim at Air Force consolidation plan

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  Taxpayer,

  If you were to do a little research, you would find out that moving airframes from the Guard to Active Duty Airforce would actually end up costing taxpayers more. Active duty units have a MUCH greater cost-per-flying-hour rate than Guard units. If you took a look at mission effectiveness ratings for both, you would see that Guard units are far superior to Active units. You would also see that the class-A mishap rating is 16 times greater for Active duty units than for Guard units for heavies and 8 times greater for fighters. Guard crewmembers maintain the same training and proficiency requirements as active-duty crewmembers but they are payed only for the days that they are actually on duty (averages about 10 days a month for guard crewmember or 1/3 of the amount it costs to maintain the proficiency of an active duty crewmember) You also have to take into consideration the cost of maintaining those airframes. Active duty units are authorized about the same number of positions, per airframe as the Guard, but in the Guard, the majority of those positions are weekenders. Most full-timers in the Guard are civil service, which means that the Guard payroll for personnel performing the exact same duties as their Active counterparts is considerably less. (Taxable income for Active, that portion that we taxpayers hear about, may be less, but that doesn't take into consideration BAH or BAS) All in all, Guard flying units are a bargain to taxpayers and they are just as deployable as their Active counterparts.

  GovExec.com reader Posted July 1, 2005 11:44 AM
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  Sorry "Taxpayer", the Mississippi River runs between Lambert Field and Scott Air Force Base creating the state border between Missouri and Illinois. Explain how the "Missouri Air National Guard" would be flying out of an Illinois-based Air Force Base when they don't have any planes to fly? Remember the Air Guard flyes FIGHTERS and Scott's planes are "the big ones" like hospital planes and tankers. - Girl from St Lou

  GovExec.com reader Posted July 1, 2005 11:41 AM
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  Dear Taxpayer

  You are losing it bad. The pilots DO NOT reenlist, they are officers. Your knowledge of military matters is limited to headline news. Keep to what you know and by the way it seems to be getting smaller each posting you make.

  GovExec.com reader Posted July 1, 2005 8:11 AM
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  The entire concept of an Air National Guard under the control of State governors is ridiculous. Are New mexico, Texas, California and Arizona air guard units to fly over the border and stop illegal immigration? States do not need the air guard and it should go out of business. All its aircraft should be deployed with the active Air force and not sitting at local airports across the country wasting billions of dollars. "One general will argue that the decision will force highly skilled pilots and crews into combat support jobs, potentially influencing their decision to re-enlist." Maybe we need to go back to the draft because these Generals cannot recruit without the best toys available for these need for speed guys. If they want to fly fighter jets they should join the Navy. Guys in St Louis are whining because they will giveup their planes - all they have to do is go 50 miles to Scott AFB to fly the big ones. The planes should not be a Lambert Airport.

  taxpayer Posted June 29, 2005 6:40 AM