Moseley spoke about mobility issues, reminding AEI conference attendees that it wasn’t very long ago that certain critics in Washington were trying to kill the C-17 program. “Where would we be now without it?” Moseley said of the workhorse transport. On the other mobility issue: Moseley said the long-awaited analysis of alternatives for a replacement tanker is “in the building” and is being evaluated. He also noted the ongoing independent review and, what he termed, a sufficiency review—both of which, coupled with the AOA, will lead to tanker recapitalization. It is a given, according to Moseley, because everyone knows that global reach “is all dependent on being able to cross oceans.”
The Air Force is launching an effort to develop a new stand-off missile with a range of 1,000 nautical miles, or 1,150 miles, that would eventually be used for both air-to-air and air-to-surface missions.