Secretary Michael Donley said Thursday he was tired of answering questions about the Air Force’s commitment to the F-35 strike fighter, saying the service has no intention of reducing its planned total buy number any time soon. “I’d like to put this to bed as well as I can,” he said during an AFA-sponsored address in Arlington, Va. “I’ve said many, many times [that] decisions about the size of the F-35 fleet are decisions for the 2020s—the 2020s,” he added, repeating the date for emphasis. Donley said any decision on F-35 numbers “would have no effect” in the next five or 10 years, the period during which the Pentagon is dealing with a projected budget cut of some $487 billion. Donley’s response followed a reporter’s question about whether the Air Force was considering purchasing new F-16s to offset the delays in the F-35 program. Donley said that was not on the table since the planned modifications to the existing F-16 fleet “will be more cost-effective” than buying new aircraft.
Active-Duty Airmen only have a few days left to submit an official waist-to-height ratio into the Air Force’s new online application. But the service clarified July 23 that this first body composition measurement is not meant to be scored as part of the new Physical Fitness Readiness Assessment, or PFRA