The 2007 budget proposal contains final funding—$2.9 billion—for the C-17 airlifter, providing for delivery of the 180th aircraft in 2008 and production shutdown and tooling storage. USAF plans to upgrade 112 C-5 airlifters. For tactical mobility, the Air Force has requested $867 million to buy nine C-130Js and to cover support and training for various J model aircraft.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's recent direction that the military services return to a more old-school approach to basic training—with instructors "tossing bunks" and "putting their hands on recruits”—will likely require the Air Force to rewrite policies for military training instructors it has modified over time to cut down on such…
