The Pentagon’s broad-based defense strategy review to shape its force of 2020 has been an “unprecedented collaborative effort” between the services, combatant commanders, and the Office of the Secretary of Defense, said Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz. Without previewing the strategy prior to its rollout early next year, Schwartz offered these insights during an appearance on This Week in Defense News that aired on Dec. 11: USAF in the coming years—the active duty ranks and reserve components—will get smaller and will do less tasks simultaneously, he said. What remains will still be a “superb” Air Force, said Schwartz, noting that fielding multi-role assets and placing emphasis on readiness will be critical factors in crafting the future force. Operations tempo and force management will be key to achieving balance, but the force will still be “compelling,” said Schwartz.
The defense intelligence community has tried three times in the past decade to build a “common intelligence picture”—a single data stream providing the information that commanders need to make decisions about the battlefield. The first two attempts failed. But officials say things are different today.