The recent closeout of the Fiscal 2014 budget found additional money for the Air Force’s facilities upgrades, according to a release. Repairs and improvements from new lighting and laundry facilities for dormitories to a new fire station exhaust system to taxiway repairs and building demolitions were made possible after the closeout of FY ‘14. “The facility projects were a big help, because for Fiscal Year ’15 the [facility sustainment restoration and modernization] funding has been cut significantly; nearly 48 percent” said Leslie Carlson, chief of AFSC’s Financial Analysis Division. “So any funding we were able to get for FSRM was very helpful to cushion the blow early on this year.” With budget constraints comes new concerns over the plausibility of certain projects “with all of our base wings, particularly Tinker [AFB, Okla.] because they are so heavily contracted out,” said Carlson. “The contracting services limitation is always of concern to us.”
The Department of the Air Force has delivered a report to Congress recommending the transfer of Air National Guard units to the Space Force, calling it “by far the most advisable” option studied—even as growing opposition from lawmakers threatens to derail the idea.