The greatest shortfall the Air Force is grappling with is its ISR and its fighter fleet, Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh told members of the House Armed Services Committee Friday. “Those are the two things that we can’t meet the demand on more frequently than anything else,” he said. That is why USAF is being careful about divesting its fighter fleet “too much,” and is focusing on single mission aircraft like the A-10 and U-2. “We are going to go to seven (fighter) squadrons below our requirement with this budget,” Welsh said, referring to the Fiscal 2015 President’s Budget. Any more reductions in fighter aircraft makes it less likely the Air Force can meet “standing war plans for our combatant commanders,” he added. Air Force leaders also considered divesting the entire B-1 and F-16 fleets, as well as some F-15Es, but determined that “would require a much higher number” of aircraft to reach the same savings, said Welsh. “We used the standard DOD planning scenarios and the result showed that cutting the A-10 fleet was the lowest risk . . . option,” he said. “No one, especially me, is happy about recommending divestiture of this great old friend [the A-10]. It’s the right decision from a military perspective.”
How Miss America 2024 Took the Air Force Somewhere New
Dec. 20, 2024
When 2nd Lt. Madison Marsh became the first ever active service member crowned Miss America on Jan. 14, top Air Force officials recognized a rare opportunity to reach women and girls who otherwise might not consider military service as an option.