USAF To Shut Down Two C-17 squadrons

The Air Force will inactivate two C-17 squadrons over the next two years in a budget-saving move.
Sixteen C-17 Globemasters — eight from the 17th Airlift Squadron at Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina, and eight from the 10th Airlift Squadron at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington — will transition from primary inventory to backup inventory. That means the planes will no longer receive funding for personnel and flying hours but will continue to get necessary resources to support weapon system sustainment.
Eventually, however, the Air Force plans to transfer the aircraft to the reserve component.
The inactivations were first announced in March as part of budget submissions.
The C-17 squadron at Charleston will make the transition in fiscal 2015, followed by the McChord C-17 squadron in fiscal 2016.
As of this May, the Air Force had 187 C-17s in its active-duty inventory, 14 in the Air Force Reserve and 12 in the Air National Guard.
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