Gen. Ronald Keys, Air Combat Command chief, said today that ACC wants to see even further reductions in its infrastructure, taking the cuts well beyond what came out of the most recent round of Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC). Keys told AFA’s Air Warfare Symposium that BRAC 2005 “didn’t get me everything I wanted…. We’re not finished; not by a long shot.” Keys wanted to shutter more facilities to free up cash for combat capabilities. The ACC chief didn’t elaborate on which bases he could give up. The BRAC commission not only closed a number of ACC bases but also kept open a number which the command marked for closure, such as Cannon AFB, N. Mex., and Ellsworth AFB, S.D.
The Air Force will finish restructuring the Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile program by the end of this year, achieve its first test launch of the ICBM by 2027, and reach initial operational capability by the early 2030s.
