The Air Force’s capacity to do multiple big operations either simultaneously or in quick succession will end when the service implements budget cuts now in development, said Lt. Gen. Herbert Carlisle, deputy chief of staff for operations, plans, and requirements, Thursday. The force is being shaped in order to “deal with a high-end adversary,” if necessary, he said during an Air Force Association-sponsored Air Force Breakfast Program presentation in Arlington, Va. The Air Force, he continued, “probably couldn’t do what we did last March,” when it supported not only operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, but also a new shooting war in Libya and a major relief effort in Japan. “We all know . . . what budget constraints we’re under right now,” said Carlisle. “Currently, we’re kind of a budget in search of a strategy.”
Navy CCA Program’s Shape Coming into Focus
Oct. 17, 2025
In announcing its Navy Collaborative Combat Aircraft contract, General Atomics has provided some clues as to where the service is heading with its version of an armed, autonomous fighter escort. It will likely be quite different from the Air Force version.
