Acting Air Force Secretary Michael Donley, Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz, and a small herd of senior generals convened at Bolling AFB, D.C., for an off-site meeting Wednesday to plot a way ahead on a host of pressing Air Force issues. The summit was to decide—in no particular order—what USAF will do to increase the availability of unmanned aerial vehicles in the two combat theaters; whether to actually change over to a new uniform; whether to stick with or abandon the service’s “Above All” recruiting and image-building TV ad campaign; how, when, and where to stand up Cyber Command; and whether to retool the Air Force’s Roadmap, which lays out an overarching plan for every mission and program. The summiteers also aimed to solidify plans to re-establish USAF’s bonafides in the nuclear mission, and, broadly, to restore accountability, confidence, and trust in the service. The leaders want their plan fully vetted and a consensus achieved so that when they present it at the Air Force Association’s Air & Space Conference in Washington, D.C., in two weeks, there won’t be any confusion about the way ahead.
The Chinese air force is accelerating some of its fighter pilot training but likely won't fully modernize until 2030. Tradition and the tempo of graduating aviation academy classes constrains pilot production.