Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne told lawmakers last week that the Pentagon’s arguments for not sustaining a second engine for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter “revolve around economics” and models that “do not contemplate this fighter being in service for 50 years.” Wynne reiterated his preference—established when he was in DOD acquisition, technology, and logistics—for an alternate engine. He confessed that he doesn’t know how long the F-35 will be in service, but then who could have forecast that the F-15 and F-16 would serve for 50 years. His final comment before the Senate Appropriations defense panel: “There is something to additional reliability.”
How Miss America 2024 Took the Air Force Somewhere New
Dec. 20, 2024
When 2nd Lt. Madison Marsh became the first ever active service member crowned Miss America on Jan. 14, top Air Force officials recognized a rare opportunity to reach women and girls who otherwise might not consider military service as an option.