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DOD PROPOSES TO CUT WESTOVER FLEET BY EIGHT
Posted 2/3/2012 Updated 2/3/2012
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Release Number: 021206
2/3/2012 - WESTOVER AIR RESERVE BASE, Mass. -- Air Force officials announced Friday a proposal to cut half of the 439th Airlift Wing's C-5 fleet in 2016 as a result of Pentagon budget cuts.
While the host unit 439th Airlift Wing flies 16 C-5B models, eight C-5s are slated to be transferred from Westover, officials said. They added, the fleet is scheduled to be upgraded by 2016 to the re-engined M-models. In the plan, Westover would retain eight of the refurbished C-5 Ms.
"The proposed changes will have an operational impact on the base, but Westover will remain a viable part of the Reserve. We are committed to fulfilling our global mobility mission," said Col. Steven Vautrain, 439th AW commander.
Faced with austere budgets, the Air Force is refocusing and reducing the size of its forces to comply with the president's new defense strategy and the Budget Control Act's requirements to cut $487 billion from the defense budget over the next 10 years.
"We're going to do everything we can to take care of our people as these changes occur," said Lt. Gen. Charles E. Stenner Jr., chief of Air Force Reserve at the Pentagon. "We're putting together programs to retain as many of our reservists as possible."
The Air Force is scheduled to announce manpower changes caused by this force restructuring in the next few weeks.
In order for the planned reductions to take effect, they must be approved by Congress and signed into law by the president.
"We worked closely with our Regular Air Force and Air Guard partners to rebalance our Total Force team," said Lt. Gen. Stenner. "In order to make our Air Force smaller, all three components had to find efficiencies and reductions - to get smaller together."
To view the Air Force Overview listing all of the planned changes, go to: www.af.mil.
For further information, visit Westover's web site at www.westover.afrc.af.mil, or call the 439th AW Public Affairs Office at 413-557-2020. |
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