89 ‘Critical’ Department of Air Force General Promotions Held Up in Senate

May 11, 2023 | By Chris Gordon

The Department of the Air Force makes up a significant portion of senior military promotions currently on hold in the Senate due to a blockade by Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), according to data shared with Air & Space Forces Magazine.

Democratic lawmakers said there are 196 pending nominations as of May 10. The Department of Air Force makes up 89 of the pending general officer nominations, the department said. Tuberville is protesting the Pentagon’s new reproductive health policies—which provide paid leave and travel expenses for service members who must travel to receive an abortion—by stopping general and flag officer promotions, which are subject to Senate confirmation.

A DAF spokesperson said the hold has wide-ranging impacts.

“These are critical positions overseeing the management of the Nation’s nuclear triad operations and deterrence; joint coalition air campaigns; reinforcement plans for defense of critical areas of responsibility; research, development, and modernization efforts; cyberspace operations; and sensitive elements of our Nation’s intelligence enterprise,” the spokesperson said.

The hold also extends to some of the Air Force’s top jobs.

“As of May 10, the U.S. Air Force has nine three- and four-star total force nominations pending confirmation,” the spokesperson said. “Of the nine positions, five are Major Command commanders and four are headquarters directors. These positions are critical to the pursuit of global, regional, and functional objectives, providing offensive, defensive and support elements for the Indo-Pacific, European, Southwest Asia, and Homeland theaters.”

Roles awaiting confirmation include the commanders of Air Combat Command and Pacific Air Forces, as well as new heads of Air Force Futures and director of staff at Headquarters Air Force.

In a recent letter sent to Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), the chair of the Senate Armed Services subcommittee on personnel, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III warned that Tuberville’s hold “harms America’s national security and hinders the Pentagon’s normal operations.”

Senior leaders, including Austin and Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall, have also noted the move puts many officers’ families, as well as those who are set to retire or move to different roles, in an uncertain position.

“The impacts extend beyond the nominees themselves to their families and the incumbents being replaced by those nominated,” the DAF spokesperson said.

The Senate normally confirms thousands of military nominations a year, almost all through unanimous consent. While it is not uncommon to have some political nominations held up, Austin said Tuberville’s move was “unprecedented in its scale and scope.” The DOD projects it will have 650 general officer and flag officer nominations by the end of the year—which cannot go ahead if Tuberville does not shift his position. Tuberville wants the upper chamber to have to vote on military nominations one at a time, but that would suck up the Senate’s limited floor time, and Senate Democrats note the officers are uncontroversial uniformed nominees who do not control the DOD’s civilian policies. Tuberville’s move is also drawing criticism from the top Republican in the Senate, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.

“I don’t support putting a hold on military nominations,” McConnell told reporters May 10. “I don’t support that. As to why, you need to ask Sen. Tuberville.”

‘Kill Chain’ Fails Without More 5th, 6th-Gen Platforms, Experts Warn

May 10, 2023 | By John A. Tirpak

The Air Force—along with the entire Pentagon—must make all the links of its “kill chain” more robust and resilient. But it all hinges on producing modern air platforms and weapons—specifically, fifth- and sixth-generation fighters and bombers—in sufficient numbers, according to retired Lt. Gen. Joseph Guastella, the former deputy chief of staff for operations.

Speaking on a Mitchell Institute webinar, Guastella said the “number one thing is, we need the fifth-gen fighters, in the sufficient volume, to get after the threat.”

Right now, the Air Force is “flying around with a huge portion of our force that is fourth-gen fighters,” which are “not survivable in the high-end fight,” said Guastella, who retired in 2022 and is now a Mitchell Institute senior fellow. And those fourth-gen fighters are largely equipped with third-generation munitions, he noted.

Brig. Gen. Richard Goodman, commander of the 57th Wing at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., agreed with Guastella’s assessment, saying he sees the service as having “a foot … in two places right now” between its large contingent of fourth-generation aircraft and efforts to develop and field fifth- and sixth-gen capabilities. Investing in larger numbers of those more advanced platforms would “close that capability gap,” he said.

Goodman, whose wing forms a key part of the Air Force Warfare Center, also said training will be a “cross-cutting enabler” for winning the kill chain competition. He urged more investment in training ranges and argued that it should all be connected to the Joint Synthetic Environment, the Pentagon’s modeling and simulation system that weighs the relative values of different systems, in varying quantities, against plausible threats.

The fifth- and sixth-generation platforms Guastella and Goodman referenced—namely the F-35 fighter and B-21 bomber, respectively—are the only ones that can “close the kill chain” on their own, given their extensive and exquisite combination of stealth, sensor fusion, and networking capabilities, Mitchell Institute senior resident fellow Heather Penney said, summarizing a recent report she authored.

The ”kill chain” is the sequence of events that must take place in order to identify and strike a target in a timely fashion.

Platforms like the F-35 and B-21 act as pathfinders for the rest of the force, and in the report, Penney recommends building them at scale. She also urges the development of resilient networks, new space-based sensing and communications systems, and a new class of weaponry.

Building those platforms—and the planned Next Generation Air Dominance fighter—“has to be the top priority in winning the kill chain competition,” Guastella said, “because those aircraft will ensure that the delivery platform is survivable, that a huge part of the sensor/shooter [network] is right there and available. And they’re coming off the line now, but they’ve got to come off in sufficient quantities,” he said.

Similarly, Penney said it is crucial the U.S. doesn’t repeat the “fatal” mistake it made with the B-2 and the F-22—both aircraft were leap-ahead capabilities, but after a huge investment in their development, they were only built in small quantities, especially insufficient given the tens of thousands of possible targets in a Pacific air campaign, she said.

Instead, Penney urged the Air Force to maximize production of the F-35 and B-21, especially as they are coming off hot manufacturing lines now.

“We can’t delay what we need to do,” she said, saying expanded production is an essential step to “mitigate risk in the near-to-mid-term,” given the possibility of conflict with China within the next decade.

In her report, Penney notes that China will attempt to disrupt the kill chain at various stages of the process, increasing the need to make it more resilient and acquire systems that can complete the whole chain on their own.

Winning the kill chain competition means “success or failure for our nation,” Guastella said.

“The ratio between fixed targets—that we classically would hit with a strategic bombing campaign—and mobile … moving or dynamic targets, or emerging targets, is shifting every day in the direction of dynamic targets,” Guastella said.

Every adversary has studied the Air Force way of war and has learned that USAF can hit any fixed target, no matter how well defended, he continued.

“If you want to stay alive … just make it a mobile target. And it’ll be a lot harder for us and more survivable and more effective for the adversary,” Guastella said.

Austin: Senator’s Hold on General Promotions ‘Harms America’s National Security’

May 10, 2023 | By Chris Gordon

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III issued a lengthy warning over the ongoing hold on senior military promotions led by a Republican senator, warning that the effort is “unprecedented in its scale and scope” and poses a “clear risk” to the U.S. military’s ability to function properly.

“This indefinite hold harms America’s national security and hinders the Pentagon’s normal operations,” Austin wrote in a four-page letter dated May 5 in response to a request from Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), chair of the Senate Armed Services subcommittee on personnel. “The longer that this hold persists, the greater the risk the U.S. military runs in every theater, every domain, and every service.”

For months now, Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), has spearheaded an effort to block general and flag officer promotions to protest the Pentagon’s new reproductive health policies, which provide paid leave and travel expenses for service members who must travel to receive an abortion. There are currently 196 military nominations pending in the Senate, Democratic lawmakers said.

The hold has created a looming void at the top of U.S. uniformed leadership, and is already having negative effects across the DOD, Austin said. The Defense Secretary added the move could cause “acute, self-inflicted problems.”

According to Austin, Tuberville’s hold will affect 64 three- and four-star positions due to rotate in the next 120 days, including the top officers of the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps, as well as the heads of U.S. Northern Command and U.S. Cyber Command, the latter of whom also serves as the director of the National Security Agency.

“Without these leaders in place, the U.S. military will incur an unnecessary and unprecedented degree of risk at a moment when our adversaries may seek to test our resolve,” Austin wrote.

The Senate normally confirms thousands of military nominations a year, almost all through uncontroversial, unanimous consent. But Tuberville, who has garnered support for his effort from some other Republican lawmakers, wants the upper chamber to have to vote on military nominations one at a time. Senate floor time is scarce, meaning the Senate would be put off of other work to conduct the time-consuming votes. Tuberville claims the DOD’s new abortion leave policy violates the Hyde Amendment, which blocks federal funds from being used for most abortions. The Department of Justice has said the DOD’s new policies are lawful.

“This blockade is recklessly harming U.S. military readiness and derailing the apolitical, merit-based promotions of some of our nation’s best and brightest officers for purely partisan reasons,” Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said in a statement.

Austin warned the list of affected officers will significantly swell in the next nine months, with 80 three- and four-star rotations projected across the DOD, including the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force.

News reports indicate President Joe Biden plans to select Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. to replace Army Gen. Mark A. Milley as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, a move subject to Senate confirmation. That would also create a vacancy for the Air Force’s top job.

Austin said the impact extends beyond the very top officers, with a cascading effect through the U.S. military.

“In total, between now and the end of the year, the Department projects that approximately 650 general and flag officers will require Senate confirmation,” Austin wrote. There are large number of one- and two-star promotions on hold for jobs that may not be high-profile but help ensure the military functions, he said.

“The department relies on these experienced leaders to execute tactical actions every day and extend our strategic advantages for the long term …. their importance cannot be overstated,” wrote Austin, who added that some leaders might have to take on the responsibilities of two positions at once because other leaders’ confirmations are stalled or have “less experienced decision-makers in charge.”

Austin, a retired Army general, also noted some officers’ personal and family lives are in limbo, a concern shared by Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall. Even if the promotions eventually go through, Kendall told lawmakers earlier this month, family members will have still faced costs.

“They have to plan to get their children into schools, where they’re going to be established, and in their new homes, so there’s a very personal toll this takes as well,” Kendall said. “One of the things that motivates our people in terms of retention or not, is how they feel that their families are being treated. …. We ask our military families to move multiple times during their career. It’s something that they accept, but when their planning for that is disrupted, it has a very negative impact and it definitely impacts on retention as well.”

Kendall, who also served in the military, argued that even if competent officers fill soon-to-be vacant positions in the interim, their ability to lead would be hampered.

“Generally people, if they’re going to retire, they’re still going to retire,” Kendall said. “So a junior person will step up and be acting for a period of time. Those people are limited in what they can do. They generally are not going to make any major initiatives or make any major changes because they know they’re not going to be there very long. They expect that they’ll be replaced very shortly. So they’ll keep the trains running, but they’re not going to move the organization forward as much as they might be otherwise.”

NORAD Boss: Over the Horizon Radar ‘Not the End-All, Be-All’ For Defending Homeland

May 10, 2023 | By David Roza

The head of North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) told lawmakers that over-the-horizon radar (OTHR) will help his troops detect threats from farther away, but they also need other surveillance systems—and to be able to communicate quickly in order to neutralize those threats.

OTHR “is not the end-all, be-all,” Air Force Gen. Glen D. VanHerck, who also leads U.S. Northern Command (NORTHCOM), told the Senate Armed Services’ subcommittee on strategic forces on May 9. “There has to be domain awareness between the over-the-horizon radars that link the data from there to an end-game effector. … We need to look more broadly at the rest of the infrastructures, the radar as well, and ensure the data from those systems is incorporated in an integrated air and missile defense system that can lead to effectors.”

Those effectors may take the form of kinetic weapons such as missiles or non-kinetic effects such as electronic warfare, VanHerck said. The NORTHCOM boss noted that the Department of the Air Force has invested several billion dollars in the information technology networks that allow his troops to share information internally and with the rest of the military and foreign allies, but the cyber aspect of the network still troubles him.

“Candidly, my most concerning domain awareness problem is … the limited knowledge of cyber vulnerabilities for the critical infrastructure that we rely on to project power from our homeland, to defend our homeland, to do command and control within our homeland,” VanHerck said. “So I continue to advocate for that to the department.”

NORAD found itself in the spotlight earlier this year after the revelation that Chinese surveillance balloons and other unidentified objects slipped into U.S. airspace undetected by the Pentagon. VanHerck has used the opportunity to advocate for over-the-horizon radars; integrating space-based and undersea surveillance to form a more comprehensive defense picture; and accelerating the development process to put those capabilities in the field more quickly.

“I have concerns, as I have articulated for three years, about my ability to provide threat warning and attack assessment with the threats to our homeland,” VanHerck said during a hearing with the Senate Armed Services Committee on March 23. “That increases the risk of escalation and strategic deterrence failure. Those are significant challenges for me.”

OTHR is a “proven, affordable technology“ that will “significantly improve” NORTHCOM and NORAD’s ability to detect threats all the way to outer space, VanHerck said in written testimony, but it is only one piece of the surveillance puzzle.

Another piece is the North Warning System, a chain of radar stations that monitors northern aerospace approaches into Canada and the U.S. The problem is that NWS was built between 1986 and 1992, and its radar capabilities may not be able to keep pace with modern cruise missiles and hypersonic weapons, according to the Canadian government. VanHerck said the Air Force has to decide how to solve that problem.

“The department hasn’t made a decision on modernization of the North Warning System or further replacement of the radars associated with the North Warning System, but that has to be a discussion,” he said. “Like I said, over-the-horizon radar is not the be-all, end-all.”

The discussions on over-the-horizon radar, information networks, and the North Warning System are all part of a fundamental reevaluation of homeland defense that VanHerck said is currently underway. The general is also developing what he calls Homeland Defense Design 2035, which may present a paradigm shift for the mission. The design proposes “a new way of defending the homeland that’s vastly different from the way we do it today with fighters, tankers, AWACs, those kinds of things,” VanHerck said.

Though VanHerck did not provide specifics on what that vision may entail, he did mention later in his remarks that autonomous or unmanned platforms could generate domain awareness or defense in the electromagnetic spectrum both on the sea and in the sky. Those platforms would then need a fast information network to detect and communicate about fast-moving threats such as hypersonic missiles.

In past remarks, VanHerck said the data generated by such platforms would need to be fused into “a globally integrated picture that allows us to see threats globally before they become threats here in the homeland.”

Even more than over-the-horizon radar, cybersecurity, or hypersonic missiles, VanHerck said he was most dismayed by the pace at which the U.S. develops and deploys systems to defend against new technologies being produced by adversaries.

“I believe that the greatest strategic risk for the United States stems from our own inability to adapt at a pace required by the changing strategic environment,” he wrote. “In an era of incredible innovation and technological achievement, inflexible, outdated processes are a greater impediment to success than many of our competitors’ capability advancements.”

Space Force Developing New Training Capabilities for Guardians

May 10, 2023 | By Greg Hadley

Whether it’s adding on-orbit capabilities or new forms of simulation, the Space Force wants to get its training beyond the classrooms and PowerPoint slides, its chief trainer said May 10.

How the Space Force goes about preparing Guardians has changed significantly even within the past few years, said Maj. Gen. Shawn N. Bratton, head of Space Training and Readiness Command (STARCOM). His plan to upgrade USSF’s test and training infrastructure closely mirrors priorities laid out by Chief of Space Operations Gen. B. Chance Saltzman, who has emphasized that need since before he became CSO.

“We’re shifting back a little bit more to live training,” Bratton said during an appearance with AFA’s Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies. “As I came up in the classroom, we had some simulation capability, but there was really a lot of education. It wasn’t as much as what today I would call training activities. We learned about the space domain, we learned how to operate, but most of it was classroom discussion, seminar style, PowerPoint slides, all the standard things.”

Not anymore. “Now the discussion is, ‘Why aren’t we flying a spacecraft in training? Why aren’t we getting some sort of reps and sets, some sorties in, in the training environment?’” Bratton said. “And that alleviates some of the training burden that we placed on the operational units. If we can move that back into the training pipeline, I think there’ll be value added.”

For example, he cited the U.S. Air Force Academy’s FalconSat program, in which Cadets build, launch, and operate small satellites in orbit. Bratton said that experience teaches “all these fundamental concepts that apply regardless of what spacecraft you end up flying in your career.”

“We think we can bring that back into training through simulation, but also with some live activity,” he added.

Live Training

The Space Force’s emphasis on live activity is not without complications—unlike the other military services, it cannot establish a defined area of space solely for testing and training.

“There’s no sovereignty in space, and so we had to think about that a little bit different on how do we do these activities that we need to do to build the credibility of the force, to increase readiness, but also be safe and professional in our operations in the space domain,” Bratton said.

USSF’s overarching answer has been the National Space Test and Training Complex (NSTTC), a collection of sensors and assets on the ground and in orbit. Bratton credited Brig. Gen. Todd R. Moore, his deputy, for this description: “It’s the gym where we go to work out the force,” Bratton said. “We’re building that right now. And there are already pieces that exist. We’ve done some live activities, both on orbit as well as in the electromagnetic spectrum.”

The Space Force has executed two “Black Skies” exercises, the most recent one completed in March. Black Skies are part of a series of exercises designed to mimic the Air Force’s “Flag” exercises. The next iteration, “Red Skies,” focusing on orbital warfare, will take place late this summer, Bratton said.

To exercise command and control, the Space Force conducted “Polaris Hammer” in February, which focused in particular on the new Space Forces Indo-Pacific command.

STARCOM. meanwhile, continues to build out NSTTC, Bratton said, including “on-orbit capabilities, the ground sensors, and then the infrastructure that ties it all together for command and control and gathering the data, which is particularly important for the test enterprise.”

Virtual Training

Digital twins—highly accurate models that can be used for simulation and training—are a part of STARCOM’s training plan, enabling the Space Force to practice skills without creating real-world problems in space. But Bratton said his command is also working on “How we bring in existing spacecraft that don’t have a digital model.”

For those situations, collecting high-fidelity data must be gathered to generate realistic simulation models, leveraging Space Force intelligence to assist with developing realistic threats.

“Some of that exists today,” Bratton said. “I wouldn’t presume to say that we’re all the way there [though]. We’re getting a lot of help from industry in this area. But there’s a lot of work to do.”

Air Force Relieves Commander at 19th Air Force

May 10, 2023 | By Greg Hadley

Maj. Gen. Phillip A. Stewart was relieved for loss of confidence in his ability to command the 19th Air Force, Air Education and Training Command announced May 10.

Stewart was relieved for alleged misconduct, which was not described in further detail. AETC said the matter is under investigation.

“The Air Force takes any misconduct allegation seriously and is committed to conducting a thorough investigation,” AETC commander Lt. Gen. Brian S. Robinson said in a statement.

Brig. Gen. Christopher R. Amrhein, 19th Air Force’s vice commander, was named the interim commander. Amrhein has been with the 19th Air Force since August 2021 and was previously inspector general for Air Mobility Command.

The 19th Air Force is one of two Numbered Air Forces under AETC and is responsible for all flying training in the Air Force, from Undergraduate Pilot Training to formal training units. It also oversees training programs for air battle managers, weapons directors, Air Force Academy Airmanship, and survival, evasion, resistance, and escape (SERE).

Stewart assumed command of the 19th Air Force in August 2022 after previous commands at the wing and squadron levels. He also has been the Air Force’s top adviser in Afghanistan and deputy chief of staff for strategic employment at Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe. A command pilot with more than 2,600 hours, he has flown the F-15C, A-29, U-2, MC-12, AT-38, T-38, T-37, and RQ-4.

He is the second 19th Air Force Commander to be relieved. In 2015, Maj. Gen. Michael Keltz resigned from his position as commander of 19th Air Force following “an inappropriate comment” made in a “public Air Force forum.”

Why Is the Next Top Enlisted Guardian’s Nickname ‘B-9’?

May 9, 2023 | By David Roza

When news broke on May 8 that Chief Master Sgt. John F. Bentivegna was chosen to become the next Chief Master Sergeant of the Space Force, it soon became clear that social media knows him by a different name.

“Congrats, Chief B9!” said several commenters on the unofficial Space Force subreddit and on Facebook.

A Space Forces spokesman told Air & Space Forces Magazine the B-9 nickname refers to the nine letters that follow the “B” in Bentivegna, which is pronounced “bent-EE-vania.”

Bentivegna will be the second-ever CMSSF, the top enlisted Guardian in the Space Force. As such, he will be responsible for advising Chief of Space Operations Gen. B. Chance Saltzman on the welfare and readiness of the Space Force’s Guardians. Saltzman selected Bentivegna out of five finalists as the new top enlisted Guardian on May 5. The service has not yet announced when ‘Chief B-9’ will formally take over the job from the current CMSSF Roger A. Towberman.

A 29-year veteran, Bentivegna currently advises the Deputy CSO for Operations, Lt. Gen. DeAnna Burt, and he is also the Enlisted Space Systems Operations Career Field Manager. He was Command Chief at Space Operations Command in his prior role. Bentivegna joined the Air Force in 1994 and served in both maintenance and space operations before transferring to the Space Force in September 2020.

“He’s been right here with us every step of the way,” Towberman said in a statement about Bentivegna. “He knows where we’ve been and believes in where we’re going. I couldn’t be happier for our Guardians or more proud of how it’s all coming together. He’s exactly who we need right now.”

That is high praise coming from Towberman, who made a splash for being the first CMSSF and for striving to form a retention-focused service that does not give Guardians “a reason to quit.” He also appeared on late-night TV from Greenland, sang with the Air Force’s Max Impact rock band, and spoke directly to Guardians on the Space Force’s unofficial Reddit page.

“When your brand is crazy, you can’t go out of bounds,” Towberman said in his keynote address at the 2022 Air, Space & Cyber Conference, shortly after leading the audience through a singalong of the Space Force song.

Though it is unclear yet what Bentivegna’s brand will be, Space Force leadership believes he is ready for prime time.

“I needed someone that would bring a perspective on our future that was articulated differently from mine,” Saltzman said in the release. “Someone who could (and would) challenge my assumptions and ensure that important issues were evaluated from multiple angles and would catch things I missed. All the candidates had tremendous experience, skills, and expertise and it made it a close run.”

In the end, Chief “B-9” came out on top.

“It’s overwhelming and incredibly humbling to be offered the opportunity to become the next Chief Master Sergeant of the Space Force,” Bentivegna said in a statement. “I am really excited to have that opportunity to work next to Gen. Saltzman to help fulfill his vision for where the service needs to go.”

Air Force ‘Doesn’t Just Need Airplanes’ to Modernize, Kendall Says

May 9, 2023 | By Chris Gordon

Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall insists the service needs to modernize rapidly to face the threat of China. But modernization does not just mean fielding new aircraft, Kendall and other service leaders argue—the Air Force also needs to retire its aging airplanes.

“The truth is the Air Force needs things like electric warfare, battle management, intelligence, cyber capabilities, all of these things,” Kendall said at the Ash Carter Exchange defense conference May 9. “It doesn’t just need airplanes.”

“As the character of warfare changes,” Kendall added, the Air Force will become just as much about those new systems as “traditional platforms.”

“We’re having to divest some of those to free up resources to move forward,” Kendall said. “There’s been resistance to that in the past.”

That means the service—and lawmakers—have to make hard choices, Kendall said, while acknowledging there are also political realities that come into play.

“I know it’s hard, locally, in particular, to divest aircraft,” Kendall said.

The Air Force needs to acknowledge that lawmakers do not want jobs and resources taken away from their constituents, and try to ensure it brings “similar value to the local communities” as it modernizes, Kendall said.

The service has made progress on that front recently. After years of Congress saying “No” to the Air Force’s attempts to divest some of its aging fleet, the legislature has started to relent some, going along with the service’s requests to retire platforms like the A-10 “Warthog” and E-3 AWACS.

In fiscal 2024, the Air Force plans to retire 310 aircraft, including even more A-10s and E-3s, as well as 32 older F-22s. The F-22s in particular are aircraft the Air Force unsuccessfully tried to retire last year, facing pushback on and off Capitol Hill. But Kendall said the A-10s and E-3s were “increasingly obsolete and very difficult to maintain” and the early F-22s “are not fully combat capable.”

If it can, Kendall said, the Air Force wants to replace retired aircraft with similar systems, such as replacing an aging fighter unit with new fighter aircraft. If not, Kendall said the Air Force wants to convince lawmakers that a new unit is something with “longevity.”

For example, as the service gets rid of A-10s at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., it plans to stand up a new “Power Projection Wing.”

This year, Kendall sounded optimistic that the service’s reasoning and messaging is getting through.

“I’m going to express my appreciation to the Congress,” he said.

For now, the Department of the Air Force has wrapped up the unveiling of its fiscal 2024 budget to Congress, including advocating for aircraft divestitures. After fielding a myriad of questions from lawmakers during a series of hearings, Kendall has one main takeaway: Congress must act.

“Now we’re going to wait,” Kendall said, reiterating his frustration at political gridlock—which Kendall said will almost certainly lead to a delayed budget of at least three months.

Kendall came into his role in 2021 with the goal to modernize the Air Force and build out the Space Force to meet the threat of China. His seven “operational imperatives” have shaped that modernization effort over the past two years, and the department’s budget is now in alignment with those goals, he said, with aircraft divestitures making up one piece.

“These are operating problems we have to solve to be able to be effective against the threat that is emerging and moving forward fairly rapidly,” Kendall said. “China is not wasting any time.”

“They’ve surprised me a couple of times,” said Kendall, who spent decades as a Pentagon official before returning as Air Force Secretary. “They’re not waiting for us to do things. They’re thinking ahead and moving forward. We have to be competitive.”

Photos: A-10s Back in Europe for NATO’s Defender ’23

May 9, 2023 | By Greg Hadley

Ten A-10s and dozens of Airmen deployed to Europe this week in support of the Army-led DEFENDER 2023 exercise, and nine more mobility aircraft will do the same in the coming weeks.

The A-10s, from the Air Force Reserve’s 442nd Fighter Wing at Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo., are split between Zaragosa Air Base, Spain, and Thessaloniki Air Base, Greece, providing close air support during the exercise, which is intended to build readiness and interoperability between U.S. and NATO allies.

A-10s from the Maryland Air National Guard previously deployed to Europe in May and June 2022, participating in last year’s DEFENDER exercise and operating from Norway, North Macedonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Estonia. A-10s also recently deployed to the Middle East under U.S. Central Command.

This year’s exercise involves 17,000 troops from 26 different nations, including roughly 9,000 U.S. service members. It is divided into three phases—Swift Response, Immediate Response, and Saber Guardian—each focused on different objectives.

“This annual, nearly two-month long exercise is focused on the strategic deployment of U.S.-based forces, employment of Army prepositioned stocks and interoperability with European allies and partners,” Sabrina Singh, deputy Pentagon press secretary, said in an April 6 briefing.

While the A-10s have already arrived and started participating in the exercise, more USAF aircraft are set to deploy in the next month: Six C-17s from the 62nd Airlift Wing at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., and three C-130s from the 403rd Wing at Keesler Air Force Base, Miss.

Those aircraft will primarily operate out of Aviano Air Base, Italy, according to a U.S. Air Forces in Europe release.

In addition to the aircraft, the Air Force is also deploying support Airmen to support DEFENDER 23—air mobility teams from the 521st Air Mobility Operations Wing will head to Aviano, Zaragosa, and Larissa Air Base, Greece.

Air mobility teams consist of personnel who offer aerial port, aircraft maintenance, and command and control capabilities outside of the usual structure. Such teams are likely to be crucial to the Air Force’s development of Agile Combat Employment, the concept of scattering small teams of Airmen and aircraft to operate from remote or austere locations.