Still Smaller, Still Older
“The fleet is aging; 30-plus years on average. Some of the … critical platforms, are significantly older than that. When I was a navigator, I never flew a KC-135 that was younger than me. They’re still flying today. … They are definitely getting old, still a very capable platform, but they’re definitely, definitely aging. …
My sense, though, is [the fleet’s] probably too small, both on the fighter and the bomber side of the house.”
—Troy E. Meink, at his March 27 confirmation hearing to be Secretary of the Air Force, responds to questions from Sen. Tedd Budd (R-N.C.) about whether the Air Force’s fleet is too small for the missions it’s asked to perform.
You’re Being Watched
“The PRC has developed what we’ve kind of, you know, tongue in cheek, called a ‘kill web,’ and it’s nothing more than a series of hundreds of satellites that are a sensor network that provide real-time updates, targeting quality information of our force. …
We have to remember space capabilities can be negated using ground techniques … cyber techniques, so we have to defend our assets in not just the orbit, but the ground as well.”
—Chief of Space Operations Gen. B. Chance Saltzman on the People’s Republic of China at the Politico Security Summit [May. 15].
Airpower at Every Price
“When we say airpower, anytime, anywhere, it doesn’t have to be the most exquisite, exclusive, expensive, sophisticated player. It just needs to be able to generate effects for the commander and for the President.”
—Air Force Chief of Staff of the David W. Allvin, June 2.
Now the Work Begins
“This is just the beginning. … You need to keep the momentum as you lead in our rapidly changing geopolitical landscape. … Many of you have come a long way from arriving in flip-flops, showing up without paperwork, or packing like you were going on a European vacation [jokingly]. But today you are our warrior leaders ready to lead in our Air Force and our Space Force.”
—Lt. Gen. Tony Bauernfeind, Superintendent of the USAFA addressing this year’s graduating Class of 2025 [May 29].
A Weapons Portfolio You Can Count On
“We don’t want to put our [forces] in a position where the exquisite weapons they have on Day One turn into, you know, moderately exquisite weapons on Day 15, and then by Day 30, they’re out of exquisite weapons.
And they’re dropping, you know, Mark 82 and dumb bombs that we’ve had since World War II. We want to put them in a position where this weapons portfolio we have is pretty solid, and you can count on the same from Day One through Day 600, if needed.“
—Maj. Gen. Joe Kunkel, Air Force director of force design, integration and wargaming, speaking at an AFA event about the new push to co-develop with industry a new generation of low-cost weapons for which production can be surged when needed [April 24].
Mission Ready
“Our Air Force exists to kill people and blow s— up—it’s always been our purpose. … We exist to defend the Nation and provide the President with credible options across the scale of conflict. Chief Initial Mission Command Training brings us to our first principle. … We didn’t just talk about warfighting—we demonstrated it. … Chiefs experienced what it means to operate in a contested environment, including limited communications, contested logistics, and unfamiliar terrain. They’ll take this back and apply it locally so that Airmen train and prepare together before they ever deploy.”
—Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force David Flosi explaining the new Chief Initial Mission Command Training held at Tyndall AFB, Fla., for newly selected chief master sergeants [May 19-23].
High-Level Thinking
“Warfare in the air domain or land domain—none of those are shrouded in secrecy. We understand how the Air Force fights, how the Army fights. We should also understand how the Space Force fights. … Part of it is just removing the mystery.”
—U.S. Space Force Lt. Gen. Shawn N. Bratton, deputy Chief of Space Operations for strategy, plans, programs, and requirements on the space warfighting framework during an event at AFA’s Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies [May 15].