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.
The Air Force is shoring up its cyber defenses both on and off base for critical infrastructure such as water and electrical power, and industry experts are calling for more, even specialized, dedicated microgrids offsite to support USAF operations in case of a total blackout caused by cyberattacks.
