Generals grounding air force

The air force, and the rest of the defence force, must realise there will never again be a defence budget to waste, say military experts.

They will just have to cut costs. Departments that want to make use of Air Force planes will have to pay up. If no money is forthcoming, the air force will simply have to refuse to fly, military experts say regarding the fuel shortage threatening to ground military planes. The air force has enough fuel left until the end of March only to transport VIPs and execute emergency and maintenance flights. 'Top heavy' There are too many generals in a shrinking force, and it is tapping working capital, says retired brigadier-general Bill Sass. "There are far too many generals in the defence force, and more posts are being created, even though the force is supposed to be cut back."

There are about 200 generals in the defence force, many of them in the air force. With about 78 000 force members, we have a much higher general-to-troop ratio than most international armies. It's a fact that most of the budget is spent on staff, especially senior officers. The air force must realise it is wasting its own money if it prefers having generals rather than flight hours, he says.

It does not make sense for the defence force or air force to ask parliament for more money if they are not serious about cutting back staff, says Helmoed Römer-Heitman of Jane's Defence Weekly. "As long as brigadier-generals are doing the jobs of captains, they will have no argument." The air force and the army have never been known for their ability to plan well or to stay within their budgets, he says. "But the navy manages to do so. Maybe the air force can learn from the navy how to do it, or else it will be begging every few months."

Independant Newspapers