One of Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein’s pet projects has evolved into a joint task force tackling the coronavirus pandemic. In his first address as Chief at the Air Force Association’s September 2016 conference, Goldfein listed the goal of building joint leaders ...
A readiness task force spanning several major Air Force organizations is looking at new ways to measure fleet readiness other than the controversial mission-capable rate. After trying and largely failing to get certain fighter jet fleets to reach 80 percent mission-capable, or ready to enter ...
The Air Force removed the minimum height requirement for applicants who want to fly as it looks to increase the diversity of those entering USAF cockpits. Under previous standards, pilots must reach a standing height of 64 inches to 77 inches—5 feet, 4 inches to ...
Don’t expect much investment in new fleets of special-operations aircraft as the Pentagon braces for a budget crunch, the head of Air Force Special Operations Command said May 13. “We acknowledge that we are at a strategic inflection point,” Lt. Gen. Jim Slife said during ...
Concerns about COVID-19 infection have reached the highest levels of the military, with one member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff going into self-quarantine and another testing positive on May 9 and then testing negative twice. Gen. Joseph Lengyel, chief of the National Guard Bureau, ...
Pacific Air Forces boss Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. is arguing for a wholesale refresh of the Air Force’s roles and missions as he prepares to take the service’s top job. Brown, a decorated combat pilot, faced the Senate Armed Services Committee May 7 during ...
The Air Force inspector general is conducting a sweeping review of the service’s readiness assessments and reporting, the year after a Pentagon-wide order directed the armed forces to improve the state of key fighter fleets, according to the service’s presumptive next Chief of Staff. Air ...
Defense Secretary Mark Esper acknowledged that heavy government spending on anti-Coronavirus efforts could suppress defense spending in coming years, and said the Pentagon will prioritize modernization programs over legacy systems if the budget flattens. There are "dozens" of legacy programs Esper said he would be ...
Current predictions show a COVID-19 vaccine is still 18 months away, so the Air Force must find ways to survive and operate in a world where the virus keeps coming back, Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein wrote in an April 28 letter to commanders. ...
Pacific Air Forces boss Gen. C.Q. Brown Jr. will get his shot at becoming the Air Force’s next Chief of Staff at his Senate confirmation hearing scheduled for May 7. The Senate Armed Services Committee plans to vet Brown, Navy Secretary nominee Kenneth Braithwaite, and ...
The Air Force is bracing for a year or more of adapting to the COVID-19 pandemic, adjusting its operating tempo and procedures under a new "reset" expected June 1, Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein said April 22. He's not seeing any major programs faltering ...
The Defense Department's newly extended travel ban provides additional leeway to bring troops home from deployments, as Air Force officials try to figure out how to meet the service's highest priority needs if the ban is extended yet again. The policy change loosens guidelines for ...