Maj. Gen. Frank Faykes, a senior Air Force budget official, says that the Air Force was forced to levy the upcoming 40,000-person drawdown to pay to modernize weapon systems as DOD’s budget flattens. Faykes laid blame for Fiscal 2007 budget pressures on the deficit, the rising cost of entitlements, and the migration [of funds] to domestic accounts. He said that DOD took $4 billion from the Air Force to pay for non-defense items. Currently, Faykes said, the “big pain” is the soaring cost of fuel in the operations and maintenance account. USAF added $1.1 billion just to pay for aviation jet fuel in 2007.
Sticker Shock Drags Out USAF’s E-7 Negotiations with Boeing
April 18, 2024
While a deal on the E-7 Wedgetail airborne battle management jet may come soon, negotiations are stuck on the high price Boeing is asking for the development jets, Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said recently.