Among the top awards presented during this week’s annual AFA Air & Space Conference in Washington was the H.H. Arnold Award, presented to Air Combat Command boss Gen. Ron Keys, who is retiring this fall, for the most significant contribution by a military member to national defense. The W. Stuart Symington Award went to Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne for the most significant contribution in the field of national defense by an Air Force civilian. Lockheed Martin and Boeing garnered the John R. Alison Award, presented for industrial leadership in national defense, for their development of the Atlas V and Delta IV, respectively, and other launchers.
The roles and missions executed by Air Force warriors are essential to the nation’s security. Yet after three decades of constant demand and minimal replenishment, our Air Force is too small and too old. It needs to be rebuilt. The Trump administration and Congress must fund that modernization to ensure…