Gen. Bruce Carlson, head of Air Force Materiel Command, acknowledges that the Air Force and the other services are facing a “challenging environment,” but he told attendees at the Logistics Officer Association conference in San Antonio Tuesday that “the sky is not falling.” He maintains, “We will win the war on terrorism, take care of our airmen, and recapitalize the Air Force.” All it will take is for airmen to become “more efficient” and for the Air Force to reduce legacy systems and restore “a positive perception of the Air Force acquisition system.”
The Air Force’s BACN may be cooked—the service plans to retire its entire E-11A Battlefield Airborne Communications Node fleet in fiscal 2028 and equip aircraft to use satellite communications instead.