Navy making tough calls in aviation.

• Position: Budget for United States Navy - Brief article

The Navy is preparing to substantially delay or cut aircraft programs in next years budget, says William M. Balderson, deputy assistant secretary of the Navy. The bottom line, he says, is that "we can't afford all these aircraft," he tells the National Aeronautics Association. Increasingly, more of the Navy's funds are being reallocated to pay for rising fuel prices, Iraq war costs and Katrina-related damages, Balderson says. The upshot for aviation is that every program is being...