Give up the bands? No way

"In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist."

-- President Dwight D. Eisenhower

If there was a lesson in how difficult it is to cut military spending, it can be found in any military community, but Eisenhower warned of this day and an example of his warning came when, according to Military Times, Rep. Martha McSally, R-Ariz., in a House Armed Services Committee hearing told Defense Secretary Ash Carter and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Joseph Dunford, regarding the Air Force, "Ditch the bands and put musicians to work in jobs that boost U.S. national security."

She was complaining about the Air Force saying it had a personnel crisis, which McSally said was, "their newest excuse" for prematurely retiring essential, close-air support aircraft like the A-10 Warthog, yet "we have hundreds of people playing the tuba and clarinet."

"If we really had a manning crisis, from my perspective, we would really tell people to put down the tuba and pick up a wrench or a gun," McSally said. Could she have a point? The Air Force has about 540 enlisted airmen, and almost 20 officers, according to Military Times. We suppose those airmen could go to other areas. However, we suspect there is more to it.

McSally is a former A-10 pilot and squadron commander, and Arizona is home to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, outside of Tucson, where the 45th Fighter Squadron is based that flies the A-10 -- and it's in her 2nd Congressional District. McSally, is representing the economic issues of her district, and she is up for re-election. Is it time to retire a flying platform that made its debut 43 years ago?

We only fault her style. Air Force bands are great recruiting tools as are the Thunderbirds. We would expect our own representatives to fight with such conviction if Robins Air Force Base were threatened.

This story was originally published March 23, 2016 at 10:09 PM with the headline "Give up the bands? No way ."