Gen. Ronald Keys, ACC commander, thinks the $50 billion requested by the Air Force for the Fiscal 2008 emergency supplemental would be used for force recapitalization—primarily to offset loss and wear from operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. He told defense reporters in Washington Thursday that the Air Force has “lost a lot of airplanes” and needs to replace them, but there’s no money. Keys said ACC by itself expends about $2.6 billion a year in supplemental funding for the war on terror. When asked about USAF’s revised supplemental for Fiscal 2007, Keys maintained that discussions are ongoing and would provide no details.
Air Force senior statesmen explained the reasons they jointly sent a letter to Congress urging restoration of the E-7 Wedgetail and more F-35s to the fiscal 2026 defense budget.