
Air Force Space Command will really be behind the eight ball if the
budget sequester continues without major adjustment, said AFSPC Commander Gen.
William Shelton. During an Oct. 25 interview, Shelton said he can't
"adjust the rheostat" of his spending "like the flying
commands" can. While Air Combat Command and Air Mobility Command can
reduce flying hours—admittedly, at a steep cost in readiness—AFSPC can't simply
do less of anything because every function it provides is an all-or-nothing
"no-fail" mission, said Shelton. "I can't reduce ops
tempo," he explained. There's "no way" to reduce activities like
nuclear missile warning, global communications, space-based intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance without causing an immediate and grave effect on all aspects
of the US military, he said. Similarly, while those other commands can discuss
vertical cuts, such as eliminating the A-10 or KC-10 fleets, AFSPC doesn't have
that option, and for the same reason: there's no mission he's allowed to stop
doing. "I could close every single ground station and it still wouldn't
pay the bill" demanded by sequester, said Shelton. The recent closure of
the Space Fence—an annual operating cost of just $14 million—illustrates
"that I'm scraping the bottom of the barrel," and reaching into
needed capabilities to keep other functions operating, he noted. "I have
no idea" how AFSPC is going to do all its assigned missions with the
sequestered funding available in Fiscal 2015, he said.