In
a climate of budgeting austerity and limited fiscal resources, the Air Force Reserve serves as an example of efficiency, potentially serving as a model for the force as a whole. Air Force Reservists currently maintain the same readiness, receiving the same training as active duty, at roughly a third of the cost according to Lt. Gen. Charles Stenner, Commander of Air Force Reserve Command and Chief of Air Force Reserve. Stenner also asserted the need for AFRC, as a major command, to exercise fuller administrative control of its units and assets which currently answer to nine other commands. He highlighted the need to “rebalance” the Air Force in light of the current “risks and needs,” addressing inefficiencies in personnel and facilities, to maintain a “robust, mobile capacity” at a lower cost.
The Pentagon is requesting funds to buy 85 F-35s in its 2027 budget, 38 of them for the Air Force, a number that analysts say is not enough to reverse service’s fighter shortfall.