Just over a year after becoming the 27th Secretary of the Air Force, Troy Meink believes he’s making progress on his top priorities—increasing Air Force readiness, modernizing its aircraft fleet, and growing the nascent Space Force. Meink acknowledged continuing headwinds in a June 26 interview with Air & Space Forces Magazine, but said the proof...
US Air Force
Since U.S. Air Force Gen. Alexus G. Grynkewich became NATO’s top military officer in July 2025, the alliance has contended with Russian drone incursions, hybrid warfare against its members, and Moscow’s continued aggression in Ukraine. Now the Supreme Allied Commander...
Inside the $1.5T Budget Request By Greg Hadley, Matthew Cox, Steve Losey The Trump administration’s record-breaking $1.5 trillion defense budget request for fiscal 2027 would represent a $441 billion increase over the fiscal 2026 budget, a 44 percent jump that...
USAF Tests New Air-to-Air Missile By Stephen Losey The military’s secretive new air-to-air missile appears to have been publicly photographed for the first time during testing. A missile matching previously released information and renders of the AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical...
Annual Military Basic Pay (Effective April. 1, 2025).
The Air Force has five Institutional Commands focused on the recruit, train, and equip function of the department, and 10 Service Component Commands focused on meeting the needs of the nation’s joint combatant commands.
How two F-16 pilots survived a Houthi SAMbush. About 15 seconds separated F-16 “Wild Weasel” pilots Lt. Col. William “Skate” Parks and Maj. Michael “Danger” Blea from life or death in the night skies over Yemen. Along with multiple B-2...
Compromise Defense Bill Adds Funds for Fighters, E-7 By Greg Hadley Congress is looking to add $900 million to save the E-7 airborne early warning and control aircraft from cancellation and $500 million aircraft from cancellation and $500 million to address...
Tell us who you think we should highlight here. Write to letters@afa.org Virginia Air National Guard’s 192nd Wing recently welcomed its first full-time chaplain, Capt. KMarie Tejeda, marking a milestone in its commitment to the spiritual well-being of Airmen. Beyond...
Golden Dome is one of the most ambitious defense projects ever mounted. It seeks to develop a missile defense shield for the entire continental United States (CONUS) against ballistic, hypersonic, and cruise missile threats and to defend against air and UAV threats. To be an ...
How the U.S. can counter China’s size and other advantages. Decades of force cuts and deferred modernization have left the U.S. Air Force unable to simultaneously deter nuclear attacks, defend the U.S. homeland, and defeat Chinese aggression at acceptable levels...
Stealth was a gamble 50 years ago. It’s still a good bet. S tealth technology has given the U.S. military an air of near invincibility for the past 35 years. Overwhelmingly successful in the 1991 Gulf War, and heavily refined...