On June 14, a Navy helicopter based in Norfolk crashed in the James River during a training mission. Three crew members were plucked from the water by a vessel in the area. In a statement released later that day, the Navy announced that a mishap-investigation board would be convened. Unfortunately, it’s going to be one of many military aviation investigations convened recently.
On June 8, two F-16C Air National Guard jets collided over eastern Georgia. The planes were totally destroyed, but the pilots ejected and survived.
On June 2, Capt. Jeff Kuss, a Marine Corps pilot with the Navy’s Blue Angels flight demonstration squadron, was killed during a training flight in Tennessee. That same day, an Air Force Thunderbird plane crashed after a flyover of the Air Force Academy’s graduation ceremony. The pilot ejected safely before the crash.
On May 26, two U.S. Navy F/A-18 jets based in Virginia Beach collided over the Atlantic Ocean just off the coast of North Carolina. The four pilots on board were rescued safely and suffered only minor injuries but both planes ended up in the drink.
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According to a CNN report, the rash of aviation mishaps has raised serious concerns with military leadership and Congress. While all three branches of the armed forces have experienced losses — both human and monetary — the Navy and Marine Corps have suffered the greatest number, totaling more than $1 billion in damages and the loss of several lives.
In March, Marine Corps Gen. John Paxton told the Senate Armed Service Committee that funding shortfalls are directly responsible for the increased numbers of aviation accidents. In his testimony, Paxton told the committee: “If you don’t have the money and don’t have the parts and you don’t have the maintenance, then you fly less. If you fly less and maintain slower, there’s a higher likelihood of accidents.”
In a joint congressional hearing in April, senior naval aviation leaders told Congress that the 2013 sequestration budget cuts are largely responsible for the growing number of accidents. Since the cuts began, the Navy has lost 10 percent of maintenance crews for its older aircraft.
Deep budget cuts combined with aging aircraft, coming at a time when the U.S. is facing growing security threats and extended combat operations, are causing needless loss of lives and money.
A strong military requires strong funding. Congress — and the president — should take seriously their constitutional responsibility of providing for the common defense.
