The United States Air Force announced they will ground nearly a third of its combat planes including fighters, bombers, warning and control aircrafts, and the Blue Angel fleet of performing planes due to budget cuts.
A tight economy means the Air Force must scale back at home and in Europe and various areas of the Pacific.
Officials have yet to release specifics of which units in particular will be affected, but one leader told CBS News that the funds and resources will be used for major missions like the war in Afghanistan.
General Mike Hostage, commander of Air Combat at Joint Base Langley-Eustis said the money is necessary for other branches, but the danger of not having an entirely prepared fleet could be detrimental.
"The current situation means we're accepting the risk that combat airpower may not be ready to respond immediately to new contingencies as they occur," he said in a statement.
The Blue Angels must cancel all remaining events for the year-long hiatus, including the Naval Academy's graduation on May 27, where President Barack Obama will be speaking.
Blue Angel fans were crestfallen at the news, as residents and people who do business by the Florida waters where the fleet flies got wind of the fact that they would not see those blue planes in the sky for a while.
Lloyd Proctor, co-owner of Blue Angel Hot Tubs in Penascola was especially let down by this news. He named his business after the fleet 10 years ago when he and his wife established work there.
"I just think it's sad that there are political games being played," he said. "I doubt the Blue Angles are even half of 1 percent of the entire Navy budget."
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
