The decision to freeze all cuts to the Air National Guard in Fiscal 2013 may make life more difficult for Congress in Fiscal 2014, but that’s no reason to go along with the Air Force’s proposed force structure plan, said Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.), Senate Armed Services Committee chairman. “What [the Air Force] did was not at all thought out; there was no case made for it,” Levin told defense reporters in Washington, D.C., June 14. “It was so disproportionate to what the other services were doing.” The Air Force has proposed cutting 5,100 Air Guard positions, 900 Air Force Reservists, and 3,900 Active Duty billets next fiscal year, saying further cuts to the Active force would negatively impact readiness. Levin remained hopeful that the national commission that the SASC called for in its budget mark-up would provide recommendations on the proper active component-reserve component mix and outline a path forward.
The new defense reconciliation bill includes $7.2 billion for Air Force and Navy aviation accounts, almost half of which will buy more F-15EXs. While electronic warfare, drones, connectivity and airlift all get attention, the F-35 was conspicuously absent from the package, with no explanation given.