The Air Force is working on “an assessment” of the number of fighter aircraft it needs to meet the national defense strategy, said Lt. Gen. Hawk Carlisle, deputy chief of staff for operations, plans, and requirements, on Tuesday. Speaking to reporters after his AFA-sponsored talk in Arlington, Va., Carlisle said it’s not enough for US fighters to be vastly superior to those of adversaries; there must be enough of them to do the job. “They can only be in so many places at once,” he said. “Whether the South China Sea or the Arabian Gulf scenario . . . there is a quantity requirement,” he explained. The Air Force is working to nail down the right number, said Carlisle. The program included in the Fiscal 2013 budget proposal is an “acceptable risk,” he said, but the service will re-evaluate its planned total buy of the F-35 strike fighter, which currently stands at 1,763 airframes. Carlisle suggested that the number might go up in the long run. “We still believe we need that many, but we have time to evaluate that as we move forward. That’s why the program of record is still 1763,” he said.
US Space Command Should Always Be Led by a Guardian
Sept. 12, 2026
General Stephen Whiting took command of U.S. Space Command in January 2024, and if customary three-year tenures hold, his tour would end in January 2027. The question now before the President and Senate is who should follow him? Whoever they choose, it has to be a Guardian—and so should every successor…
