The Air Force’s capabilities need to focus on the “Pacific first,” based on the Obama Administration’s new defense strategic guidance, said Chief of Staff nominee Gen. Mark Welsh last week. The guidance means that the Air Force will have to start developing combat capabilities and tactics that are coordinated “to a greater degree” with the Navy than in the past “because of the battlespace that you would anticipate for events that would occur in the Pacific,” said Welsh during his July 19 confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee. While the Air Force has long had a strong presence in South Korea, it needs to add similar capabilities to support activity throughout the Pacific, said Welsh. “I believe we’ve already started down the road of making that integration and training possible and practical,” he noted. (Welsh’s responses to advance questions)
Pentagon Releases Cost of Living, BAH Rates for 2026
Dec. 30, 2025
The Pentagon will pay cost of living allowances to 127,000 service members in the continental U.S. in 2026, an increase of 66,000 members in 2025. Airmen and Guardians across the U.S. will also receive an average increase of 4.2 percent for their Basic Housing Allowance, compared to the 5.4 percent…
