President Trump introduced the 'America Strong' initiative last Wednesday which involves the U.S. military's top-flight demonstration teams flying all over the country to "champion national unity" during the COVID-19 crisis.
The tri-state area was the first to see the Blue Angels and Thunderbirds in action on Monday with the City of Jacksonville tweeting that a flyover in our area is tentatively scheduled for May 2.
But with shortages of PPE, accessible food and other COVID-19 related necessities, many are left wondering how much these elaborate displays are costing us.
According to a press release from the Department of Defense (DOD), the America Strong flyovers "will incur no additional cost to taxpayers" as pilots must regularly execute a minimum number of flight hours to maintain proficiency.
Even still, the cost of the initiative comes at a pretty penny. The Washington Post reports that flying the squadrons costs at least $60,000 per hour but there is no word on the total cost of the nationwide demonstrations.
The cost of the flights will reportedly come from money already in the Pentagon budget.
The DOD says both teams have been forced to cancel many previously scheduled performances in response to direction resulting from the COVID-19 outbreak, which may contribute to available budgetary funds.
- For more information on the Blue Angels, visit this site.
- For more information on the Thunderbirds, visit this site.