The Administration taking office in January will receive from the Air Force a stack of options regarding further production of the C-17 and F-22, and how to pursue a new tanker—all decisions punted by Defense Secretary Robert Gates to the new team—but advice on what action to take will be limited, Acting Air Force Secretary Michael Donley said Tuesday. In a meeting with reporters, Donley said the new Administration will get some sense of the outgoing team’s preferences based on what’s in the budget, but it will also see fresh studies about airlift and the proper mix of F-22s and F-35s that won’t even be finished until next spring. That will lead directly into next year’s Quadrennial Defense Review, when reasoned decisions will presumably be made in all three cases, by people bringing fresh eyes to the debates.
F-35As from the Vermont Air National Guard have deployed to Puerto Rico in recent days, continuing a major buildup of U.S. Air Force assets in Latin America aimed at combating drug trafficking and pressuring the regime of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.
