MAFFS availability may be curtailed with sequestration

Over the cliff—

The Air Force Times reported today that sequestration may seriously curtail C130J availability for aerial wildfire suppression operations:

“Because Air Mobility Command would still be required to transport government officials, support troops in Afghanistan and move the nation’s nuclear stockpile when needed, other missions would become “negotiable,” said Gen. Paul Selva.

Firefighting may be one of those missions because it requires a “significant” amount of training to make sure crews can do it safely, Selva said at the AFA’s winter symposium in Orlando.

“We may have to take the risk of not having those crews available because we simply don’t have the money to train them,” he said.”

Article:  AF firefighting may see setbacks under cuts