DOD to halt Air Force aircraft transfers
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A C-130 cargo plane.
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The Department of Defense has notified the Senate that it will halt scheduled transfers of Air Force aircraft until Congress finalizes its 2013 budget later this year, according to a Jackson Clarion-Ledger newspaper report.
The announcement was made by Sens. Max Baucus and Jon Tester of Montana, which sued the DOD earlier this month to stop the transfer of F-15 fighter jets to California, according to the newspaper.
Montana is among several states, including those along the Gulf Coast, that are worried about their Air National Guard units losing aircraft - such as C-130 cargo planes - which they say help with missions such as hurricane preparedness, according to the Clarion-Ledger.
The transfers would also mean the loss of jobs in those states, the Clarion-Ledger reported.
About 150 aircraft transfers and 98 aircraft retirements were scheduled in 2012 and 2013, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta wrote in a letter to the Senate, according to the paper.
Source: Jackson Clarion-Ledger
