It’s a New Day, Almost: The 2008 Air Force budget, released Monday, was the product of 2.2 million man-hours of anguished deliberation that has all flown out the window with President Bush’s announcement that he plans to add 92,000 more troops to the Army and Marine Corps, according to Gen. Michael Moseley, USAF Chief of Staff. The Air Force had been planning to reduce its ranks by 40,000 people, but more airlift, tactical air control parties, and all manner of other tie-in USAF personnel will be needed to help support all those ground troops. Moseley and Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne told reporters at a press conference Thursday that they may have to halt the drawdown at about 20,000 people. “It all has to be re-examined this summer,” Wynne said. Both Wynne and Moseley think the service will have to stand by its 2008 budget, though, and that means cuts in ranks designed to reduce skyrocketing manpower costs and, in turn, help finance urgently needed equipment modernization. Moseley said of the 2008 budget, “We’ll live with it.”
The new defense reconciliation bill includes $7.2 billion for Air Force and Navy aviation accounts, almost half of which will buy more F-15EXs. While electronic warfare, drones, connectivity and airlift all get attention, the F-35 was conspicuously absent from the package, with no explanation given.