The Air Force may be returning to a structure in which aircraft maintainers work for operations. Chief of Staff Gen. Michael Moseley would like to see the service “structured by mission and not by function,” reports SSgt. J.G. Buzanowski. Moseley’s predecessor—Gen. John P. Jumper—made the shift away from this arrangement primarily to give young maintenance officers a more dedicated career path to maintenance leadership positions. Now, Moseley believes that “moving maintenance units to the flying squadrons is best” and notes that the “partnership between crew chief and aircrew goes back to our roots.” However, he says that this structure may not suit all flying squadrons. He is gathering feedback from squadron, group, and wing commanders. Most appear to agree, but Moseley says the verdict is still out. “I’m convinced this is absolutely the right thing to do for fighters, but I’m still getting input on whether it should apply to UAVs, airlifters, tankers, and special operations aircraft as well.”
President Donald Trump projected confidence Nov. 19 that a proposed sale of F-35s to Saudi Arabia will sail through the Foreign Military Sales process, an early test of the Pentagon’s acquisition reforms. The deal is also likely to face scrutiny from ally Israel over how it could affect the balance…
