By: Jeff Schogol
Without more money from Congress, the Marine Corps will have to stop flying aircraft this summer, the head of Marine aviation said on Wednesday.
“If I don’t get more money, I’ll stop flying in July or August,” said Lt. Gen. Jon Davis, deputy commandant for aviation.
For now, Marine pilots are flying more hours than Congress has funded with a temporary budget deal and Marine Corps leaders hope lawmakers will provide more money before the end of the fiscal year in September, Davis said.
“We’re 8 percent shy of what we need to fly for our flight hours,” Davis said Wednesday at a Defense Writers Group breakfast. “We’re flying to our plan right now. So I would say we’re running hot on our budget for our flight hour goals.”
If lawmakers pass another temporary spending measure for the entire fiscal year 2017, which would leave funding flat at 2016 levels, the Marine Corps will run out of money for flight hours, Davis said. However, he also assumes “the country has got more sense than that,” he said.
“I’m highly confident that no one will ask the Marine Corps to stop flying,” Davis said.
Read the full story at Marine Corps Times