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Show BENNETT PAT ON WILSON USAF BUDGET WASHINGTON Assurance that the Air Force is not being "grounded" "ground-ed" by the Eisenhower administration administra-tion came this week from Utah's Senator Wallace F. Bennett. "Many irresponsible statements have been made by people who ought to know better about this entire Air Force budget problem," Sen. Bennett said. The lawmaker has followed the hearings closely, particularly in light of developments as they might affect Hill Air Force Base and Utah units of the Air National Guard, and has concluded desDite scheduled for 23 such units by 1955. Under the Truman budget there was to be no modernization of civilian components. In summary, Wilson pointed out, not a combat plane for combat units will be taken out of production produc-tion due to any alleged shortage of funds. "Mr. Wilson, like other members of the cabinet, has proved to be right through a process of developing devel-oping facts that soon offset a lot of unfounded partisan criticism," Sen. Bennett said. the veiled sarcasm of some observers, ob-servers, Secretary of Defense Charles E. Wilson probably will come up with a better Air Force for less money. Wilson told an appropriations subcommittee Tuesday the Truman Tru-man regime had long since abandoned aban-doned hope of building 143 air wings, but "had not been honest enough" to admit it to anyone. Wilson Wil-son said he was going to aim for 120 wings that would be effective fighting units, not paper units. The 1954 budget will produce 114 of them, including only 12 troop-carrying wings, whereas the Truman budget realistically aimed at 117 wings, 17 of them troop-carrying troop-carrying wings. "Thus, we'll have a higher percentage per-centage of combat wings, which Wilson declares would make our Air Force second to none," Sen. Bennett said. Under the 1954 budget, modern aircraft are scheduled for seven Air National Guard and Air Reserve Re-serve wings, with first-line planes |