At least 20 new airplane programs—including a handful that are variants—are in some stage of planning or development. If sustained, this airplane-building campaign will lower the average age of the fleet, increase its size, and enhance its ability to be upgraded rapidly.
April 2023
Vol. 106, No. 4
The Air Force’s B-21 Raider will be the world’s most advanced stealthy bomber when it is fielded later in this decade. For Air Force leaders, the challenge will be to fund the B-21 program to rapidly acquire the inventory it needs to meet operational demands.
The Biden administration is requesting $259.3 billion for the Department of the Air Force in its fiscal 2024 budget, an increase of more than $9 billion or about 4 percent over this year.
Readings on Vietnam
The Books Every Airman Should Read to Understand America’s Lost War in Southeast Asia.
Is Blended Retirement Making a Difference?
The new Blended Retirement System (BRS) is now five years old, and its consequences remain hard to decipher.
Editorial: Why Recruiting is in Crisis
Today’s recruiting challenges are systemic to our national circumstances. The military is in a more competitive environment than ever, at a time when other societal changes are also working to the services’ disadvantage.
Q&A: Revitalizing Air Force Materiel Command
Gen. Duke Z. Richardson leads Air Force Materiel Command, and recently released a new strategic plan for AFMC.
WORLD: Highlights from AWS
WORLD: Highlights from AFA Air Warfare Symposium: USAF fielding Collaborative Combat Aircraft; Saltzman's Theory of Competitive Endurance; USAF Bets on ACE; Recruiting Crisis.
WORLD: Air
World: Air: In the Russia-Ukraine War, Air Superiority is Key; Mobility Guardian 2023.
Faces of the Force
Tell us who you think we should highlight here. Write to airandspaceforces@afa.org.
Verbatim
A collection of quotes on Airpower, Space Power & National Security issues.
Letters
We love letters! Write to us at letters@afa.org. To be published, letters should be timely, relevant and concise. Include your name and location. Letters may be edited for space and the editors have final say on which are published.
AFA In Action: AFA’s Doolittle Leadership Center Launches Leadership Training Workshops
The workshop equipped officer candidates with a practical leadership model they could apply immediately and carry with them throughout their careers.
AFA In Action: CyberPatriot XV Crowns New National Champions
CyberPatriot is the nation’s largest youth cyber education program and the Air & Space Forces Association’s flagship STEM program for advancing youth cyber skills. The annual National Youth Cyber Defense Competition involves more than 5,000 teams from middle and high schools annually.
HEROES AND LEADERS: The Man Who Built SAC
LeMay earned his commission through ROTC at Ohio State in 1928 and over the next decade became one of the best navigators and pilots in the Air Corps.
