The Air Force plan to draw down some 40,000 personnel to free up funds for badly needed aircraft recapitalization programs is now about 18 months out of date, according to Maj. Gen. Frank Faykes, Air Force budget chief. Briefing reporters on the 2008 budget, Faykes noted that the drawdown decision was made before the Administration decided to make a permanent increase of 92,000 troops to the Army and Marine Corps. Faykes said that an Army increase of some five brigade combat teams, which have embedded USAF personnel—tactical air control parties—has a bearing on Air Force personnel levels. He said: “If the Army grows, what does that mean for the Air Force? We don’t know yet, so we’re looking at that. But the environment in which we made those decisions … has significantly changed.”
PHOTOS: Air Force Shows Off Second B-21 in New Images
Sept. 12, 2025
On Sept. 12, the Air Force released half a dozen new photos of the second B-21 bomber to fly, giving observers and aviation enthusiasts another glimpse of the secretive Raider.
