On Tuesday, the newly installed Air National Guard director, Lt. Gen. Craig McKinley, told the Daily Report that since he assumed his new position in May he has been getting his “left limit and right limit” from both Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Michael Moseley and head of the National Guard Bureau, Army Lt. Gen. Steven Blum. As part of his indoctrination, McKinley has examined ANG’s operating procedures and practices and begun working with The Adjutants General of each state. He met with TAGs at their recent convention in Williamsburg, Va., where he said he put a lot of issues on the table, including the fact that TAGs say they were left out of the 2005 BRAC process. “I gave them my vision how we will rectify those perceptions,” said McKinley, adding that Moseley is a strong proponent of his reserve components. McKinley noted that one of the tasks Moseley has laid for him is to create new ways to include TAGs or their senior staff early in any relevant decision-making process.
The Collaborative Combat Aircraft will be operational in the late 2020s, several years before the Next-Generation Air Dominance family of systems, Air Force officials told the House Armed Services tactical aviation panel. The CCAs will first be “shooters,” then electronic warfare platforms, then sensors, in that order, they added.