Senators want the Pentagon to continue to review the question of airlift sufficiency. In floor remarks, Talent quoted Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Michael Moseley, who said recently that the C-17 was “worth its weight in gold.” Retired Gen. John Handy, who stepped down this fall as head of Air Mobility Command and US Transportation Command, had long contended that 222 C-17s was the minimum required to meet the existing mobility requirement. And that requirement has gone up.
The Space Force is playing a key role in planning for “Golden Dome,” President Donald Trump’s initiative for comprehensive air and missile defense of the homeland, leaders said this week. But actually building and fielding the ambitious idea will require a major concerted effort across the Pentagon and intelligence community.