The Obama Administration seeks a baseline budget of $119.6 billion for the Air Force in Fiscal 2011, plus $20.8 billion to fund the service’s share of fighting the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. This $140.4 billion request represents two percent real growth over the enacted appropriations for Air Force-specific activities in this fiscal year, said USAF budget officials. Some 63 percent of the baseline request covers the service’s day-to-day operations ($45.8 billion for operations and maintenance and $29.3 billion for military personnel), while 20 percent ($24.2 billion) goes towards procurement, 15 percent ($18.2 billion) for research and development, and two percent ($2.2 billion) for military construction. The combined baseline/war spending proposal seeks 97 manned and 52 unmanned aircraft. The baseline request buys two satellites and supports development of the KC-X tanker, new utility helicopter, and future long-range strike capabilities. It supports an active duty force of 332,200. Continue
“Military history shows that the best defense is almost always a maneuvering offense supported by solid logistics. This was true for mechanized land warfare, air combat, and naval operations since World War II. It will also be true as the world veers closer to military conflict in space,” writes Aidan…