The last two decades of war and continuous operations have taken a significant toll on airmen, their families, and equipment, Secretary Michael Donley said on Friday in his speech on the state of the Air Force at AFA’s Air Warfare Symposium in Orlando, Fla. “We have a responsibility to rebuild to the full spectrum of readiness and training if the force is going to be prepared for the future, including any unexpected contingencies that may arise,” said Donley. However, “the modernization we need so badly would likely be delayed even further” under sequestration, he said.
An important U.S. Air Force E-3 Sentry AWACS command and control plane was among the aircraft damaged in a March 27 Iranian missile and drone attack on Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia, people familiar with the matter told Air & Space Forces Magazine.