| CNN International | - |
(CNN)
-- The nation's best military fliers have had their wings clipped,
thanks to the forced spending cuts imposed on the federal government
this year.
Budget cuts ground Blue Angels, Thunderbirds
updated 1:33 PM EDT, Tue April 9, 2013
The Blue Angels fly in their last performance of the year at Key West, Florida, on March 24.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- Navy's Blue Angels had 32 shows left in 2013
- Air Force's Thunderbirds lose more than two dozen shows
- Federal forced spending cuts lead to cancellations
- Air shows can cost bases $100,000, Air Force says
The U.S. Navy on Tuesday announced it was canceling all the air shows its Blue Angels
Flight Demonstration Squadron had scheduled for the rest of the year.
The Navy action follows the Air Force's April 1 announcement that its Thunderbirds team would not perform again this year.
"Recognizing budget
realities, current Defense policy states that outreach events can only
be supported with local assets at no cost to the government," said a
statement Tuesday from the office of the Commander Naval Air Forces in
San Diego. "This is one of many steps the Navy is taking to ensure
resources are in place to support forces operating forward now and those
training to relieve them."
The Navy, Air Force and
the rest of the federal government must deal with $85 billion in cuts
for the rest of fiscal year 2013, which ends September 30, that were
mandated by a 2011 agreement by Congress that raised the federal debt
ceiling.
The cuts targeted
agencies and programs dear to Democrats, such as education, and also
went after Republican priorities, including the military.
The Air Force had said earlier this year that air shows can cost bases $100,000.
More than two dozen Thunderbirds performances scheduled for the rest of this year were cut, including an Asian tour.
The Blue Angels had 32
performances left this year. However, several of those, including one
originally scheduled for this coming weekend at Naval Air Station Corpus
Christi in Texas, had been canceled with the expectation that the
budget cuts would force the Navy's hand.
The Navy team had also canceled a performance set for MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida, last weekend.
The next performance
still on the schedule would have been at the U.S. Naval Academy in
Annapolis, Maryland, on May 22, part of the graduation festivities at
the academy.
The Navy said the Blue Angels will continue to train at their base in Pensacola, Florida, for when the budget crunch ends.
"The Navy believes there
is value in demonstrating the professionalism and capabilities of our
Navy and Marine Corps Naval Aviation team, thus inspiring future
generations of Sailors and Marines. The Navy intends to continue aerial
demonstrations in the future as the budget situation permits," the
service's statement said.
FAA delays closures of 149 control towers
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