Some 130 air mobility leaders participated in Phoenix Rally at Scott AFB, Ill. last week for a three-day “focused look” at Air Mobility Command priorities, roles, and missions, reports Lt. Col. Lindsey Borg. In attendance was AMC’s new commander, Gen. Arthur Lichte, who reminded attendees that “air mobility is truly the center of the fight.” He also reminded the Total Force gathering that on-time delivery of the KC-X tanker replacement aircraft is vital. He said, “Just a three-year slip in this delivery timeline and cutting the annual delivery rate in half will force us to delay retiring the last KC-135 until 2084.”
The Air Force wants to pump more than $12 billion over the next five years into its new affordable long-range missiles program and recently asked industry to push the flights of some of those munitions beyond 1,200 miles.