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A Navy pilot prepares to depart Travis Air
Force Base in California in an F/A-18F Super Hornet. (Heide Couch/Air Force)
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Just a third of the Navy’s F/A-18 Super Hornets were
fully mission-capable and ready to “fight tonight” as of October, the head of
Naval Air Forces told Congress on Friday.
Only half of the service’s 542 Super Hornets were flyable
as of last month, Vice Adm. Troy Shoemaker told the House Subcommittee on
Readiness at a hearing on aviation readiness.
The relentless pace of operations since 9/11, coupled
with budget uncertainty in recent years, has forced the Navy’s aircraft and
warship communities to do more with less, affecting overall readiness as a
result, according to a copy of Shoemaker’s prepared statement to lawmakers.
Additional funding in FY2017 helped address immediate
readiness shortfalls, Shoemaker said, but more will be needed as the service
grapples with everything from an ascendant Chinese military to a belligerent
North Korea and an Iranian force prone to incitement.
“Naval Aviation needs a multifaceted approach to
readiness recovery that include aircraft procurement, consistent funding of
readiness accounts and (military construction) and infrastructure investments,”
Shoemaker said.
The Navy deployed four carrier strike groups this year to
support combat operations and provide deterrence, he said.
Shortcomings meant the Navy had to “cannibalize aircraft,
parts and people to ensure those leaving on deployment had what they needed to
be safe and effective,” Shoemaker said.
“The demand for Naval Aviation forces greatly exceeds our
ability to supply those forces,” he said.
There are 41 fewer ships and 90,000 fewer sailors in the
service since 9/11, Shoemaker said, but the missions have only increased.
“We will always answer the bell to put combat ready
forces forward,” he said. “However, we have been forced to do so for years at
the expense of our long-term ability to train and prepare the future force.”
Original post: navytimes.com
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