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.
Air Superiority Is More Than Denial
March 9, 2026
Operations Midnight Hammer and Absolute Resolve demonstrated the remarkable flexibility and overwhelming force possible when nations command control of the skies. It’s an object lesson to all who, having watched the carnage over more than four years of Russia’s war on Ukraine, some of whom have come to the erroneous belief that air superiority is no longer necessary…