The Air Force's mission capable rates declined again in fiscal 2024, indicating the service has work to do to adequately fund spares and maintenance. The F-22 fighter and B-1 bomber both were available less than half the time.
What direction the Department of the Air Force will take in the second administration of President Donald Trump remains unclear, but observers expect a shift away from long-term, leap-ahead programs to “here and now” resourcing for readiness and platforms now in production like the F-35 ...
The Heritage Foundation described the Air Force’s readiness levels as “continuing to spiral downward” in its latest assessment of U.S. military strength, leading the conservative think tank to label USAF’s overall strength as “very weak,” its lowest possible grade on a five-point scale. In particular, the ...
Senior Air Force leaders have made a clarion call for improving Total Force readiness to prepare for potential conflict with the nation’s pacing threats. Most notably, Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall is emphasizing readiness and mobilization as one...
As the Department of the Air Force undergoes a sweeping “re-optimization” review focused on its readiness for great power competition, a new research report found the department’s current methods for measuring that readiness have significant gaps, which advanced new simulators and technologies may help close.
The Air Force will pursue five lines of effort toward a speedy restructuring of the force, aimed at optimizing for great power conflict, Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said.
Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall has announced a sweeping review of Air and Space Force readiness, to be completed in January 2024, aiming to hone the services' edge and heighten deterrence against China. Kendall promises major change and directed Airmen and Guardians to start sizing ...
Looking to build stability and improve readiness, Air Force leaders said at the AFA Warfare Symposium they are planning a move in 2024 to what they call a more cohesive approach to deployments for Airmen. That deadline to implement the service's new force generation model—Air ...
The Air Force’s readiness has hit new lows due to pilot shortages, low flying hours, and aging aircraft, the Heritage Foundation’s 2023 Index of U.S. Military Strength found—leading the conservative think tank to give the service its lowest possible rating of “very weak.” The Space ...
After a brief one-year recovery, flying hours hve begun falling again across the Active Duty Air Force, although there were some gains for the Air National Guard and an overall improvement for the Air Force Reserve. Flying hours correlate to pilot proficiency and are a ...
The Department of the Air Force is set to embark on a readiness review as it works to dig itself out of a “readiness hole,” Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said. "Sequestration has been gone just a short period of time now, and I think ...
The successor to the RQ-4 Global Hawk should be available for service late in this decade, Lt. Gen. David S. Nahom, Air Force deputy chief of staff for plans and programs, told the Senate Appropriations Committee on July 21. Answering questions on divestitures of systems ...