Fiscal 2027 will be the “year of restoring our foundational readiness accounts,” Air Force Undersecretary Matthew Lohmeier promised Feb. 24, with billions of dollars going to spare parts, flying hours, facility maintenance, and more.
Air Force readiness
Readiness and sustainment are the clear priorities for Air Combat Command boss Gen. Adrian “Elmo” Spain, but the career fighter pilot has three other focuses too: Adapting to the strategic environment, modernizing for the future, and empowering leaders at the operational level. “If we [have to] go fight,...
The United States Air Force is flying less than historic norms and funding for acquisition and readiness is on a path to further hollow out this too small and old force to that is incapable of sustaining an enduring combat air campaign.
In his first major speech as Secretary of the Air Force, Troy E. Meink said he was surprised by the extent to which the Air Force’s readiness is suffering after years of under-investment in sustainment accounts—and the speed at which China has been innovating for ...
The Air Force needs a steady infusion of as much as $30 billion a year to reverse the decades of neglect that has diminished its readiness, capacity, and capability to dangerously low levels, according to a new report from the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies.
The Air Force would suffer the loss of billions of dollars of buying power under a yearlong Continuing Resolution, only somewhat mitigated by proposals that would allow it to pursue new starts, Lt. Gen. Adrian Spain, deputy chief of staff for operations, told the readiness ...
The Air Force's mission capable rates declined again in fiscal 2024, indicating the service has work to do to adequately fund spares and maintenance. The F-22 fighter and B-1 bomber both were available less than half the time.
What direction the Department of the Air Force will take in the second administration of President Donald Trump remains unclear, but observers expect a shift away from long-term, leap-ahead programs to “here and now” resourcing for readiness and platforms now in production like the F-35 ...
The Heritage Foundation described the Air Force’s readiness levels as “continuing to spiral downward” in its latest assessment of U.S. military strength, leading the conservative think tank to label USAF’s overall strength as “very weak,” its lowest possible grade on a five-point scale. In particular, the ...
Senior Air Force leaders have made a clarion call for improving Total Force readiness to prepare for potential conflict with the nation’s pacing threats. Most notably, Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall is emphasizing readiness and mobilization as one...
As the Department of the Air Force undergoes a sweeping “re-optimization” review focused on its readiness for great power competition, a new research report found the department’s current methods for measuring that readiness have significant gaps, which advanced new simulators and technologies may help close.
The Air Force will pursue five lines of effort toward a speedy restructuring of the force, aimed at optimizing for great power conflict, Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said.