Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne told defense reporters in Washington Tuesday that new budget cuts probably mean the average age of USAF aircraft, now at 24 years, will continue to climb. Wynne said, “I wanted it to be 20, 21” years at the end of the decade, but he acknowledged it would be likely for the real number to inch up to 25 years by then.
Amid a high-profile recruiting crisis, Air Force leaders and experts have increasingly noted the challenging long-term trends the service will face in enticing young Americans to sign up—decreasing eligibility to serve, less propensity to do so, and less familiarity with the military. But while those same leaders say there’s no “silver…