The nations of the Collective Security Trade Organization—Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan—are considering establishing a collective air force, reported the Russian state news agency ITAR-TASS on Monday. Discussions on this topic were expected to take place during the gathering of CSTO foreign and defense ministers and secretaries of the organization’s security councils in Moscow this week. “A plan of joint events in operational and combat training for 2015 is expected to be approved,” stated the Russian defense ministry. CSTO is meant to promote regional security in Russia’s sphere of influence and to protect member-states’ independence and territorial integrity through collective defense.?
The Air Force is planning to spend $2.19 billion over the next five years to acquire new C-37 jets for transporting military and civilian leaders. That’s on top of another $1.17 billion in projected funding for the VC-25B “Air Force One” replacement.