China Visit

The Air Force is hoping to host the head of China’s air force for a visit in July, said Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz. Discussions are under way about the possible military-to-military visit, said Schwartz on May 1 during his speech at the Stimson Center in Washington, D.C. He said he is “eager to engage” with his counterpart in the People’s Liberation Army Air Force. Schwartz also noted while responding to audience questions that the decision was made at the highest US government levels to modernize Taiwan’s F-16 fleet—by retrofitting Taiwan’s F-16A/Bs. If policymakers also decide to sell Taiwan new aircraft of a comparable nature, “we’ll support it,” he said. (For more coverage of the Chief’s Stimson speech, read Shortcut to the Hollow Force and Export Barriers.)