Very bad. The Air Force is considering retiring the B-1 bomber early:

Early retirement of the entire B-1B fleet could be one cost-saving measure pursued by a committee of Air Force leaders, according to a report published last week by airforce-magazine.com.

The independent publication reporting the possible shelving of the B-1s did not name a source for its information. The magazine is published by the nonprofit Air Force Association, whose membership is made up mainly of retired military personnel and former service members.

With military leaders facing a mandate to save $100 billion over five years, “rumors run rampant,” said Bill Ehrie, a former Dyess Air Force Base commander now involved with the civic committee in Abilene that has rallied in the past to promote Dyess during military realignments.

Ehrie said someone with knowledge of the budget proposals might have described an option under consideration. But Ehrie also downplayed the likelihood that the fleet would be retired.

“I don’t think it’s going to get to that, to the retirement of the B-1s,” Ehrie said, though he noted the conflict between budget concerns and military operational strategy.

The B-1B Lancer, as it is officially known, flies frequently in Afghanistan, providing air support for ground troops. Ehrie noted that the plane offers a large payload and impressive speed capability.

But the plane is expensive to maintain: a 2002 report from the U.S. General Accountability Office tabbed the active-duty flying cost per hour at $15,818 in fiscal year 2001.

This is a rumor, but it sounds very credible to me. Obama and the Democrat’s aim is to reduce our military capability and readiness. That is the whole reason for pushing the social-experiment repealing the DADT policy, just as it was the goal when John Conyers was wanting to bring back the draft. We have downsized too much as it is. If there is fat in the Military Budget, then cut it, but not in an irreplaceable weapons-system like the B-1. Not without replacing it with something that can fulfill its role in the Order of Battle.