Bruce Lemkin, point man for international affairs in the Air Force Secretariat since 2003 is retiring, according to USAF officials. No date was given for when Lemkin will leave. And there has been no announcement yet on his successor. Among his contributions, Lemkin played a key role in establishing the 12-nation Strategic Airlift Capability consortium that now operates a heavy airlift wing with three C-17 transports at Papa AB, Hungary. He was also instrumental in formulating the Air Force’s current global partnership strategy that stresses building partner capacity. Lemkin graduated from Annapolis in 1971 and spent time as a nuclear submarine commander.
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.