A Seat at the Nuclear Table
Elevating the head of Air Force Global Strike Command to a four-star billet is part of the Air Force’s effort to get back into the national debate over nuclear weapons, Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh said on April 2...
Just Be Curt
Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh told Gen. Robin Rand, the first four-star to lead Global Strike Command, to “go become the next Curtis LeMay,” Welsh said April 2. Speaking at an AFA-sponsored, Air Force breakfast, Welsh said he wants...
An Empty SAC of Troubles
The Air Force lost its “presence” in the top tier of the nuclear deterrence conversation when Strategic Air Command was abolished in the early 1990s, Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh said April 2. “We lost the focal point,” he...
Don’t Hold Back Airpower
To be most effective, airpower can’t be hemmed in by unnecessary rules of engagement, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh said April 2. “Airpower must not be limited by ROE, policy or practice from achieving its full effect...
The Binding, Decisive Force
The Air Force is the crucial connective tissue of the joint force and airpower alone can be decisive, Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh said April 2. Speaking at an AFA-sponsored, Air Force breakfast in Arlington, Va., Welsh made the...
Pipeline Trickle and the RPA Pickle
The Air Force is losing remotely piloted aircraft operators and the only way to train sufficient replacements and meet future demand is to ease the operational tempo, said Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh. “We’re getting about 180 people through...
Speak Militarily, Speak Consistently
The Air Staff’s consistent, targeted, planning message is paying dividends in budgetary support for key programs like F-35, KC-46, and the future Long-Range Strike Bomber, said service chief Gen. Mark Welsh. “We have changed the way we make decisions on...
Unfunded, Broadly
The Air Force’s $5.5 billion unfunded priorities list, which went to Congress March 27, was remarkably broad in describing where additional monies would go if the service got more than its formal Fiscal 2016 budget request. While the other services...
Don’t Fund the Unfunded Unless …
Congress has received the “unfunded priorities” lists it requires annually from the military services, this time including lists from the chief of the National Guard Bureau and head of US Southern Command, but with a request not to substitute items...
USAF Looks to Extend Rapid Innovation Effort
David Walker, the Air Force’s deputy assistant secretary for science and technology, told Congress recently he supports the extension of a rapid technology innovation fund, which allows quick fielding of technologies from small businesses. Speaking before the House Armed Services...