Readiness recovery

Senior Navy and Marine Corps aviation officials testified before the Senate Armed Services seapower subcommittee this afternoon.

One of their concerns is readiness recovery, according to the joint prepared testimony of Naval Air Systems Command chief Vice Adm. Paul Grosklags, Marine Corps Deputy Commandant for Aviation Lt. Gen. Jon Davis, and Navy Air Warfare (N98) Director Rear Adm. Michael Manazir:

"Readiness recovery remains one of the key areas of concern in the Department. We continue to have lower than acceptable numbers of aircraft available to train and fight; our Sailors and Marines are getting less time flying the aircraft we do have, to be as proficient as we expect them to be. This is a major concern as we are in a fiscally challenged environment and the department is in the midst of transitioning a significant portion of its aircraft to more modern and lethal varieties. The Marine Corps alone is currently transitioning every single one of its Type/Model/Series aircraft. Increasing funding of the readiness accounts, to include spares, air systems support, repair parts, and support equipment, will be critical to ensure we can recover to an acceptable level of readiness.  Given fiscal realities, our PB-17 submission represents an optimal balance of regaining an adequate level of current readiness while maintaining investment in new aircraft and capabilities -- both of which are required to support current and enduring Naval Aviation requirements."

In related news, the Senate subcommittee's House counterparts this week marked up their draft version of the fiscal year 2017 defense authorization bill, which purportedly includes additional funding for F-35 Joint Strike Fighters and Super Hornets.