Thanks to the $33 billion efficiency effort that Air Force announced last year, the service has been able to move “critically needed dollars” from support activities into other programs, such as upgrades to the F-15 radars, increased space launch investments, and additional F-35 simulators, said Erin Conaton, undersecretary of the Air Force. Speaking at AFA’s Air & Space Conference Tuesday afternoon, Conaton said the Air Force will continue to buy “more efficiently so we can get as much combat capability as possible” for the taxpayers’ dollars. The KC-46 tanker and the new bomber programs are prime examples of requirements that “have been set with an eye toward affordability,” she said. “And, throughout our acquisition programs, we are scrutinizing costs and seeking to improve industrial base stability.”
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…
