Three of the Air Force’s top eight investments in terms of pure dollars are space programs, according to Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz. They are the Space-Based Infrared System, Global Positioning System, and the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle, Schwartz said in his address at AFA’s Global Warfare Symposium in Los Angeles. They join the KC-X tanker, F-35 strike fighter, F-22, MQ-1 Predator, and MQ-9 Reaper as the service’s top acquisition priorities, he said. For the space community, it is therefore important to keep efficiencies in mind as the Air Force modernizes and recapitalizes its space systems, he said. “[Air Force] Secretary [Michael] Donley and I are counting on you in this room, and others like you, to help us adhere to development timelines, deliver to programmed expectations, and hold leaders accountable—military or civilian,” Schwartz told the symposium attendees Nov. 19.
Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, held meetings with defense leaders from the Philippines, Japan, and South Korea during a trip to the Indo-Pacific this week.