Pull Up, Pull Up: Congress must act to prevent the sequestration demanded by the 2011 Budget Control Act, Air Force Secretary Michael B. Donley said Monday. In his keynote address to AFA’s Air & Space Conference, Donley said sequestration will inflict an “arbitrary” cut of $55 billion on defense which will have destructive consequences for people as well as programs, hitting hard at the civilian workforce and “our investment portfolio.” The sequestration is avoidable, Donley said; it is “under our control” as a nation to prevent it. Allowing the sequestration to happen is “not a responsible way to achieve deficit reduction,” Donley said. “We need Congress to de-trigger” the sequester, he asserted.
Air Force F-16 pilot Lt. Col. Eric R. Emerson, who commanded a small quick reaction force of fighters responding to Iranian-backed militia groups in 2024, became the first Air National Guardsman presented with the Anthony C. Shine Award on Feb. 10.
