CMSAF Rodney J. McKinley, the Air Force’s top enlisted man, told Air Force Magazine, that the service must advance its planned cut of 40,000 personnel to free up dollars earlier to pay for things like fuel. “We can’t afford to stretch this out,” he said. USAF officials also wanted to position the force to be ready to meet whatever circumstances may confront it in three to four years, he added. “We are not going to get this 100 percent right—but we will learn from the mistakes to become more capable.” McKinley emphasized that the force is not simply getting smaller, but more capable as well.
The Department of the Air Force will be taking over the Pentagon’s prototype Joint Fires Network, or JFN, as it transitions to a fully fledged program of record, program executive officer for command, control, communications, and battle management Maj. Gen. Luke C.G. Cropsey told reporters Sept. 18.