Loved by some, hated by others, Tops in Blue is probably the most debated band in the Air Force. And thousands of airmen have until Friday to weigh in on its future.
The Air Force's two surveys on whether to continue, modify or scrap the service's traveling song-and-dance troupe began earlier this month, and must be completed by Oct. 23. The Air Force's Internal Communication Assessment Group survey, which went out to 4,674 enlisted airmen, officers and civilians, also asked them their thoughts on Tops in Blue. And the Air Force on Sept. 30 sent an email to major commands asking them to get feedback from their airmen.
Tops in Blue, which was launched in 1953, every year pulls about three dozen amateur musicians, singers, dancers and technicians from the ranks of the Air Force and sends them around the country and to bases overseas to perform for service members and their families. The Air Force says Tops in Blue is an excellent morale booster and recruiting tool, and has pointed to surveys of commanders who overwhelmingly support it.
However, some rank-and-file airmen say the group is outdated, not enjoyed by many airmen, and is a waste of morale, welfare and readiness money that could be better spent on other base activities.
The Air Force has officially budgeted at least $1.3 million for Tops in Blue this year, including more than $1 million in MWR funds. That represents a nearly 13 percent increase over last year.
But corporate sponsorships plunged this year from about $170,000 last year to $25,000 in 2015. The amount of appropriated taxpayer funds budgeted for Tops in Blue is staying even at $319,000.
Critics note that the Air Force's official budgetary estimates don't take into account the salaries of the members, which amount to at least another million dollars, or the travel costs for sending the team to concerts around the world.
Air Force spokeswoman Capt. Brooke Brzozowske said Oct. 6 that Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James requested airmen's feedback on the band and will use that feedback to "assess the program with an eye toward further efficiencies."
"With any program such as this, the benefits of the program need to be weighed against the cost," Brzozowske said. "While the Air Force has collected feedback from MAJCOM and wing commanders, the secretary wanted to ensure airmen of all ranks were allowed to provide their thoughts."
Stephen Losey is the air warfare reporter for Defense News. He previously covered leadership and personnel issues at Air Force Times, and the Pentagon, special operations and air warfare at Military.com. He has traveled to the Middle East to cover U.S. Air Force operations.
