The unstability in the international security environment and the continuing economic crisis in the United States is not going to go away by the end of the year, said Air Force Secretary Michael Donley, during AFA’s Air & Space Conference in National Harbor, Md., Sept. 17. “As those tensions grow, we need to ensure we remain well grounded in the foundations of our Air Force,” said Donley. As troops deployed to Afghanistan battle an increasing number of insider attacks and leaders back home battle with Congress over a growing number of budget cuts, it will become “even more important to come back to basics,” he added. However, whatever challenges the service will face in the future, Donley said he is confident “airmen will see us through.”
The U.S. sent Air Force F-16s over central Syria in a show of force following the Dec. 13 killing of two U.S. Army Soldiers and one American civilian interpreter by a gunman linked to the Islamic State group.
