Although the Pentagon’s new Aviation Investment Plan doesn’t anticipate buying any new strategic airlifters for at least a dozen years, it’s likely that the C-17 fleet may be enhanced or life-extended during that period, Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz said in an interview. “I’m sure we will do things to the C-17 … [to] maintain its viability,” he said. The fleet will need to be “tidied up, particularly those that were bought in the mid-90s, no question.” However, Schwartz doesn’t see any need to “stretch” any C-17s, “particularly given the performance of the RERP program for the C-5,” which is installing new engines and a variety of other life-extension modifications. (RERP stands for reliability enhancement and re-engining program.) (Also see Aviation Plan, Not a Contract)
Pentagon Releases Cost of Living, BAH Rates for 2026
Dec. 30, 2025
The Pentagon will pay cost of living allowances to 127,000 service members in the continental U.S. in 2026, an increase of 66,000 members in 2025. Airmen and Guardians across the U.S. will also receive an average increase of 4.2 percent for their Basic Housing Allowance, compared to the 5.4 percent…
