casey Posted April 24, 2015 Share Posted April 24, 2015 Military budget constraints prompted the Air Force to again cancel an international military competition typically held at Joint Base Lewis-McChord every other year. The Air Force had been expected to restore its biennial Air Mobility Rodeo at JBLM this summer. It announced Friday that the financial pressures that led it cancel the event in 2013 are again forcing it strike plans for this year’s competition. In past years, the rodeo has brought hundreds of airmen from the U.S. Air Force to JBLM for several days of events testing their abilities against each other and against counterparts from France, Germany, Israel, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. They’re tested on skills ranging from shooting to how efficiently they can unload a cargo jet carrying wounded military personnel. “During these challenging times, we need to be good stewards of our very limited funds and our airmen's time," Air Mobility Command Commander Gen. Darren McDew said. “It's unfortunate, but given the circumstances, this is the right decision.” The rodeo is not a public event, such as an air show. The Air Force last held an air show at JBLM in 2012. The rodeo’s cancellation is disappointing news to airmen who view the competition as a fun way to improve training on a mix of aircraft, such as the C-17 Globemaster, KC-135 refueling tanker and C-130 cargo plane. “We're looking forward to the possibilities of tailoring future rodeo events, to ensure we're getting the most training and international partnership building value from this event,” McDew said. View source article: http://www.thenewstribune.com/2015/04/24/3757017_citing-a-tight-budget-air-force.html?rh=1 image: http://www.defense.gov Read more here: http://www.thenewstribune.com/2015/04/24/3757017_citing-a-tight-budget-air-force.html?rh=1#storylink=cpy View full article Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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