New York City's Fleet Week may not be cancelled this year but it will be significantly scaled back because of sequestrian.
It was first thought that the annual melee would not take place after the $85billion across-the-board budget cuts which arrived in February.
A Navy official confirmed that it will happen on a much smaller scale: 'It's not going to look like anything we've seen in the past. We are not going to be able to support it like we have in the past.'
The
annual celebration, in which recently deployed
ships dock at major cities for a week, usually draws hundreds of
thousands of visitors to ports with celebrations and parades.
Department of Defense policy about spending during sequestration states that no branch of the armed forces may participate in community relations or outreach events that incur additional cost to the government or that rely on anything other than local assets and personnel.
The official told NBCNews: 'The policy is clear, we will follow in that direction to include participation in Fleet Weeks. We're still looking to see what parts of the larger celebrations we can salvage.'
Last year, a stunning flotilla of tall ships from around the world sailed into New York City in the last week of May for Fleet Week.
They included stately, old sailing
ships like the iconic USCGC Eagle, America's Tall Ship, the Colombian
ARC Gloria, the FNS Pohjanmaa, the mine-laying flagship of the Finnish
Navy and the 567-foot cruiser the USS San Jacinto were among the vessels
on display.
Hundreds of sailors, marines and coast guardsmen flooded into the city to take in the sights and mingle with the locals.
Fleet Week began in New York in 1982 and a way to let recently-deployed service members unwind and feel appreciated by the public. It is run by the city of New York. This year, it begins on May 22.
The Defense Department has said the budget cuts would force the military to slash ship and aircraft maintenance, curtail training, and give up to 14 days' unpaid leave to most of its 800,000 civilian employees.
The official said that city officials are disappointed, but understand the constraints.
'We are working with them to see what we can provide but it will not be the five, six, seven big decks (aircraft carriers) and ships that we've had in the past,' he said.
It was first thought that the annual melee would not take place after the $85billion across-the-board budget cuts which arrived in February.
A Navy official confirmed that it will happen on a much smaller scale: 'It's not going to look like anything we've seen in the past. We are not going to be able to support it like we have in the past.'
Tradition: Sailors stand on the deck of the USS
Iwo Jima as it passes by the Statue of Liberty to kick off Fleet Week in
New York in 2011
Celebration: Sailors line the mast of the tall
ship ARC Gloria, training ship and official flagship of the Colombian
Navy, as it passes the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor while
arriving for the 25th annual Fleet Week last year
Department of Defense policy about spending during sequestration states that no branch of the armed forces may participate in community relations or outreach events that incur additional cost to the government or that rely on anything other than local assets and personnel.
The official told NBCNews: 'The policy is clear, we will follow in that direction to include participation in Fleet Weeks. We're still looking to see what parts of the larger celebrations we can salvage.'
Last year, a stunning flotilla of tall ships from around the world sailed into New York City in the last week of May for Fleet Week.
Shipping out? Fleet Week will be massively scaled back this year due to the recent budget cuts
Dark
days ahead: Federal budgets cuts could lead to the cancellation of
events such as Fleet Week where the nations military ships and aircraft
visit cities around the country
Hundreds of sailors, marines and coast guardsmen flooded into the city to take in the sights and mingle with the locals.
Fleet Week began in New York in 1982 and a way to let recently-deployed service members unwind and feel appreciated by the public. It is run by the city of New York. This year, it begins on May 22.
The Defense Department has said the budget cuts would force the military to slash ship and aircraft maintenance, curtail training, and give up to 14 days' unpaid leave to most of its 800,000 civilian employees.
The official said that city officials are disappointed, but understand the constraints.
'We are working with them to see what we can provide but it will not be the five, six, seven big decks (aircraft carriers) and ships that we've had in the past,' he said.