Gen. Tom Hobbins, US Air Forces in Europe boss, has been in Moscow at the air show, where he told reporters that USAFE’s relationship with the Russian Air Force has “reached an all-time high over the past year.” Russian President Vladimir Putin also attended the air show, where he enlarged upon his decision last week to reinstate routine strategic bomber flights, saying he also intended to reinvigorate the country’s lagging aerospace industry. While the White House and State Department publicly are shrugging off the return of the Russian bomber patrols, there is some concern at the Pentagon about side effects. Read more here.
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.