When the new fiscal year begins on Oct. 1—just 12 days from now—and soon after, many governmental financial gears will be grinding, possibly to a halt. The continuing resolution under which the government has been operating in lieu of a...

The Air Force’s emphasis on the Total Force is not going away when the Total Force Task Force wraps up its work this fall, said Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh on Wednesday. “The idea is that the Total Force...

One of the questions facing US forces as they shrink to live within sequestered budgets is how to confront rapidly improving potential adversaries, said Adm. Sandy Winnefeld, Joint Chiefs of Staff vice chairman, on Wednesday. In his keynote address at...

The Air Force must take care not to become complacent after the “very permissive environment” it has enjoyed during the last 12 years of war, said Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Sandy Winnefeld on Wednesday. “The...

As the Air Force transitions to a smaller force, CMSAF James Cody reminded attendees at AFA’s 2013 Air and Space Conference at National Harbor, Md., on Wednesday that he is trying to focus on three variables: training, education, and experience....

The Air Force is bringing back Roll Call, the once-regular bulletin for the enlisted force, announced CMSAF James Cody, on Wednesday at AFA’s 2013 Air and Space Conference. Started back in 2006, Roll Call was an attempt to keep communication...

The Air Force and its industry partners launched AEHF-3, the third Advanced Extremely High Frequency communications satellite, into orbit on Wednesday from Cape Canaveral AFS, Fla. An Atlas V rocket carried the satellite aloft, lifting off at 4:10 a.m., according...

Air Force Global Strike Command has racked up a high readiness rate since its establishment in mid-2009, said AFGSC Commander Lt. Gen. James Kowalski on Wednesday at the Four-Star Forum of AFA’s 2013 Air and Space Conference in National Harbor,...

Potential US adversaries “have spent buckets of money” to acquire capabilities to negate the technologies that “make us truly unique,” said Gen. Mike Hostage, head of Air Combat Command, on Wednesday at AFA’s 2013 Air & Space Conference at National...

Air Education and Training Command chief Gen. Edward Rice said on Wednesday he was interested in examining the Air Force’s “entire training system,” not just new aircraft platforms, to determine how better to train and support the future force. Speaking...

While Pacific Air Forces commanders often make note of the size of the region—which in the words of PACAF chief Gen. Hawk Carlisle stretches from “Hollywood to Bollywood”—the Air Force and the other services have to do some more creative...

National Guard Bureau Chief Army Gen. Frank Grass said he has four areas of focus for the Guard, which he re-evaluates about once a month. The first is to provide both Air National Guard and Army National Guard forces in...

The National Guard Bureau hopes to add four new state partnerships to its portfolio in 2014, including one in Tonga, which is “real close” to being finalized, said NGB Chief Army Gen. Frank Grass on Wednesday’s during AFA’s 2013 Air...

The F-35 program is “really, really close” to turning the corner and becoming a truly healthy program, Lt. Gen. Christopher Bogdan, F-35 program executive officer, told the Daily Report. He said he’ll be satisfied the program has really turned around...

Press reports about F-35 lifecycle costs—indicating that the new estimate is $857 billion versus the previous estimate of $1.1 trillion, or 22 percent less—were accurate, said F-35 Program Executive Officer Lt. Gen. Christopher Bogdan. “We’re working well” with the Pentagon’s...

Progress on the F-35 strike fighter is “slow and steady,” and that’s as it should be, said Lt. Gen. Christopher Bogdan, F-35 program manager. The program is so “vast” and “complex,” with so many interconnected activities that “you just can’t...

Boeing will end C-17 production in 2015 and close its C-17 final assembly facility in Long Beach, Calif., after completing the 22 remaining aircraft under assembly, announced the company on Wednesday. This announcement came less than one week after Boeing...

The Air Force may have to make a vertical cut and lose the KC-10 fleet in order to pay for the KC-46, Air Mobility Command chief Gen. Paul Selva told reporters at AFA’s 2013 Air and Space Conference in National...

There’s likely to be a reduction of perhaps 40 or so C-130s, said Gen. Paul Selva, head of Air Mobility Command. In a press conference on Sept. 17 at AFA’s 2013 Air and Space Conference, Selva said the Pentagon’s independent...

The Air Force’s MC-12W Liberty surveillance aircraft seems destined for the chopping block. “If funding weren’t an issue, I would love to have that capability,” Gen. Mike Hostage, head of Air Combat Command, told reporters at a press roundtable on...

The A-10 also seems to be a goner if budget sequestration goes on beyond Oct. 1. As one of the vertical cuts Air Combat Command is looking at, the A-10 is one of those single-mission aircraft whose role other, more...

Politics will ultimately decide whether the Air Force can make some of the vertical cuts it may have to in order to live with budget sequester-level funds, said Gen. Mike Hostage, ACC commander. Speaking with reporters on Sept. 17 at...

Despite the strong suggestions from top Air Force leaders that only multi-mission aircraft will survive the coming budget pogrom, Air Combat Command chief Gen. Mike Hostage says the F-15C—which only does air superiority—will not be eliminated wholesale. “I don’t have...

Though achieving 65 combat air patrols of MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper remotely piloted aircraft was a worthy goal during the height of the Afghanistan war, Air Combat Command boss Gen. Mike Hostage said he wants out of the commitment....