emks@uokvax.UUCP (12/08/84)
I, too, am a Civil Air Patrol (CAP) member here in Oklahoma. To shed a little light on Anthony's comments: CAP, the U.S. Air Force Auxiliary, is responsible for coordinating and conducting the majority of search and rescue (SAR) missions for the U.S. Air Force. Under treaty and executive order the U.S. Air Force, through the Military Airlift Command's Rescue Coordination Center, is responsible for coordinating federal assistance on all SAR incidents in the Continental U.S., excluding seas and navigable waterways. The U.S. Air Force operates a liaison to CAP at Maxwell AFB Alabama and has field offices at eight territorial headquarters, called regional offices, and at 52 state/district offices, including D.C. and Puerto Rico T.T. Each USAF member assigned to a liaison is paid, like any other military member, from the U.S. defense budget. But CAP receives little in the way of financial support from the federal or state governments to support its program. It's estimated that CAP saves the U.S. several million dollars annually (I'm sorry, I can't dredge up the figures) since the cost of operating USAF aircraft to do low-level air search is phenomenal; the Air Force doesn't own a large fleet of single-engine aircraft. Recently, legislation passed congress which allows some appropriated funds to be expended for CAP; no monies were allocated for FY 85, but that was a function of the time of bill passage. What does the bill allow for? Well, I don't have a copy of the bill in front of me, but it allows for the purchase of certain cadet uniform articles, communications equipment, aircraft [DoD's inventory of excess aircraft such as T-41A/Bs are now depleted], and certain other mission-related items, all of which are consistent with CAP's mission. I would like to make it clear that CAP doesn't get a "share [of] the defense budget." CAP is not a government agency. But the Secretary of the Air Force is empowered by law to provide certain support to CAP, consistent with the needs of the Air Force. kurt U.S.P.S.: 2420 Bonnybrook Street Norman OK 73071-4324 Dare I say it? 1Lt Kurt F. Sauer, CAP Chief, Disaster Preparedness Headquarters, Oklahoma Wing