The Air Force has adopted a centralized approach toward managing its computer network operations, making the switch to a single commander on July 5. An Air Combat Command statement says that Lt. Gen. Robert Elder, new 8th Air Force commander, also holds the title Air Force Network Operations commander. Lt. Gen. Michael Peterson, the Air Force’s Chief Information Officer, previewed the service’s plan during a May speech, in which he told a Capitol Hill audience that the Air Force was taking an incremental approach toward streamlining its network operations apparatus.
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.