Talking Smart Ops 21: Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne has issued a new “Letter to Airmen,” discussing the Air Force’s role in providing “an array of capabilities” to combatant commanders. Wynne writes, “We must seek to constantly give value to our ‘customers.’” To that end, he notes, the Air Force has expanded its depot streamlining initiative into what it terms “Air Force Smart Operations 21 (AFSO 21).” Wynne continues, writing that this “continuous process improvements” approach “will be the new culture of our Air Force.”
It'll take up to 18 months for Lockheed Martin to deliver the 100 or so F-35s that went directly from production line to storage, awaiting the completion of Tech Refresh 3 testing. Customers haven't complained about the order in which the backlog is being delivered.