Those dire words came from Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne in remarks at a Washington think tank gathering this week. He said the Air Force was “going out of business” in industrialist terms because its plan to sacrifice 40,000 bodies to fund modernization of its aged aircraft fleet has failed. He said the inventory age is still rising, from 23.9 years today to 26.5 years by 2012. Simply put, the service’s fourth-generation fighters can not compete against fighters or air defense systems over Tehran [Iran] or Caracas [Venezuela], once they buy what the Russians are selling them,” declared Wynne. He acknowledged that it was his idea to attempt to fund modernization with personnel cuts, as any industrialist would do, but he said, “It isn’t working.” (Read more in Warning: USAF Is “Going Out of Business.”)
As the Air Force readied for its June 21-22 strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, the service was also putting its Agile Combat Employment strategy into action, dispersing combat aircraft and Airmen from Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar in preparation for a possible Iranian retaliatory attack. Some defense experts say…
