Airmen who maintain the ground radar systems at Balad AB, Iraq, enabling 24/7 air operations, must troubleshoot and repair more than 7,200 separate parts, says SSgt. Tyler Hand, ground radar systems supervisor for the 727th Expeditionary Air Control Squadron. These parts range from coolant systems to motors and microelectronics. He told Air Force journalist SSgt. Alice Moore: “Our radar is the looking glass through which the air missions are coordinated. We can’t afford to perform inspections and system alignments half-heartedly.”
The Air Force budget would grow to $234 billion while Space Force spending would shrink to $26 billion under the White House's yearly ask.