Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Michael Moseley noted the service’s upcoming force changes at a Capitol Hill seminar Tuesday, saying that he just held a meeting with USAF four stars last week to begin “moving out on some decisions.” A core feature of service plans is to complete the rebirth of numbered air forces into warfighting headquarters—a move service leaders expect will aid them in cutting about 50,000 personnel over the next five years. Moseley believes the “new” HQs will “formalize” and strengthen the relationship between commands and air power.
The emphasis on speed in the Pentagon’s newly unveiled slate of acquisition reforms may come with increased near-term cost increases, analysts say. But according to U.S. defense officials, the new weapons-buying construct provides the military with enough flexibility to prevent runaway budget overruns in major programs.
