The fear that aircraft are going to end up in mid-air collisions is making him lose sleep at night, Lt. Gen. Michael Wooley told Washington-based defense reporters Wednesday morning. The Air Force Special Operations Command boss was referring in particular to the uncoordinated flight of some unmanned aerial vehicles participating in Southwest Asia operations. Wooley said he’s in favor of the Air Force plan to place higher flying UAVs under the control of the operational air boss, who would know at all times the location of aircraft in the sky. He doesn’t want to limit the number of UAVs in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq; instead he wants more of this “unblinking eye” capability.
The Air Force is requesting about $141 million for initial enlistment bonuses in its fiscal 2026 budget, while Space Force wants $13 million.
