Acting Air Force Secretary Eric Fanning and Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh received an update this week on the work of the service’s Total Force Task Force, including a briefing on the group’s draft findings, according to Welsh’s office. TF2, as it is known, is charged with determining the proper mix of personnel and capabilities across the Active Duty component, Air National Guard, and Air Force Reserve to meet requirements within available resources. The task force’s final recommendations and report are due in early October to support the service’s Fiscal 2015 budget planning, so the briefing allowed Fanning to provide feedback before the group completes its work. In an interview last month during his tour of the Asia-Pacific region, Welsh told the Daily Report that his directive to the task force members was very plain: Push as much into the reserve components without creating too many barriers for access in the event of contingencies. Barriers and rules have built up between the Air Force’s components over the years that no longer make sense, said Welsh. As for what lies ahead, Welsh said “nobody’s going to be happy, because everyone is going to shrink.”
US Space Command Should Always Be Led by a Guardian
Sept. 12, 2026
General Stephen Whiting took command of U.S. Space Command in January 2024, and if customary three-year tenures hold, his tour would end in January 2027. The question now before the President and Senate is who should follow him? Whoever they choose, it has to be a Guardian—and so should every successor…
