ENID, Okla. (AP) — Air Force officials say 33 students and instructor pilots will be temporarily transferred to Randolph and Laughlin Air Force Bases in Texas as a strike at Vance Air Force Base continues.
General Norton Schwartz, Air Force Chief of Staff, said in a statement yesterday that he takes the issue very seriously and urges all parties to quickly resolve the dispute because it's affecting the Air Education and Training Command's ability to produce pilots in a time of war.
The flying training mission of the 71st Flying Training Wing at Vance has been idle since the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Local Lodge 898 walked out early Mnoday.
Schwartz says the strike against CSC Applied Technologies and its three subcontractors also has affected many basic services supporting the base population.
The transfer is scheduled for Monday.
