THE LEDGER-STAR
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, August 25, 1994 TAG: 9408250810
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER
LENGTH: Short : 41 lines
The Navy will reverse an order that has grounded three carrier air wings because of a budget crunch, Rep. Norm Dicks, D-Wash., said Wednesday night.
Unexpected requirements to send additional warships to waters near Korea and Haiti this summer forced the Navy to delete flight training money for the squadrons for the fourth quarter of the fiscal year, through September.
Dicks said the office of Adm. Mike Boorda, the chief of naval operations, reported the naval air squadrons will be ``ungrounded'' as soon as possible.
The official word will come from the U.S. Pacific Fleet and its naval air forces headquarters in San Diego, but ``the orders are coming from on high,'' a Dicks aide said.
``They have freed up enough money so that they resume flying,'' said Dicks, who closely monitors military issues as vice chairman of the House Appropriations defense subcommittee.
Dicks said he agreed with the decision by Navy officials to give top priority to carrier battle groups operating overseas, but he said the Navy cannot afford to have its aviators lose flight certification.
A Pentagon decision to return the carrier Independence to its homeport in Japan next week rather than keeping it on station near Korea played a large part in making the training funds available again, Dicks said.
``I'm very pleased about this (decision),'' Dicks said. ``The whole focus in Congress has been to maintain flying hours and training so that readiness does not fall apart.''
``We cannot afford to allow these pilots to lose their certification,'' Dicks said.
KEYWORDS: U.S. NAVY MILITARY BUDGET DEFENSE BUDGET
by CNB