Sixty-eight percent of all airmen entered service after 9/11, so they have never known an Air Force that was not involved in wars. The high operational tempo of the last decade is the new normal for today’s force, said CMSAF James Roy on Friday during AFA’s Air Warfare Symposium in Orlando, Fla. Airmen want to know how they are going to keep their edge, said Roy. “That’s a good question, because I think that’s the question of the future,” he said. Senior leaders have to make sure they are up to the task and figure out how to ensure airmen remain motivated, said Roy. “I know we can do it. We made the transition after 9/11 very, very quickly, and airmen have shown us they are willing to produce every single day,” he said.
President Donald Trump on July 4 signed into law $150 billion in defense funds as part of the tax-and-spending package known as the “One Big, Beautiful Bill” after congressional Republicans approved the legislation in narrow, drawn-out votes earlier this week.
