NATIONAL HARBOR, Md.—When the 119th Congress took office in January 2025, it counted a record seven former Navy SEALs among its members—and just one former Air Force fighter pilot.
Rep. August Pfluger (R-Texas), an Air Force veteran who flew F-15 and F-22 fighters, says that needs to change so the Air Force gets the resources it needs to recapitalize its rapidly aging air fleet.
“I am the only fifth-generation pilot in Congress,” Pfluger said Sept. 16 at AFA’s Air, Space & Cyber conference. “I need some wingmen to come join me. … God bless my Navy SEAL friends, and they are dear friends, but we’ve got a lot of them in Congress. What we don’t have is a lot of air and space expertise.”
Indeed, among the 96 veterans now in Congress, just 15 are Air Force veterans: only 15.6 percent. By comparison, there are 45 Army vets, 24 Navy vets, and 12 former Marines. The Space Force isn’t seven years old yet, but no former Space Force Guardians have been elected to Congress.
Of the 15 former Airmen on Capitol Hill, Pfluger is not the only aviator—Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) flew on the EC-130H and RC-135, Rep. Troy Downing (R-Mont.) was in combat search and rescue, and Rep. Zach Nunn (R-Iowa) was an airborne intelligence officer.
But there are no other USAF fighter pilots. In 2022, Pfluger started the “Mach 1” caucus with three former Navy fighter pilots. Four years and two elections later, the Mach 1 caucus has gone from four to three members: Pfluger, Rep. Jake Ellzey (R-Texas), and Rep. Scott Franklin (R-Fla.).
With such small numbers, Pfluger said, it’s harder for the Air Force to “tell its story.”
“What I have done in Congress is try to educate my colleagues on what the Department of the Air Force does and why we, as a department, are really carrying the load in each of the conflicts—whether it’s Epic Fury, Midnight Hammer, Absolute Resolve, or any of the previous conflicts, the Department of the Air Force has been there every single time,” Pfluger said.
Airpower, Pfluger said, is uniquely capable of providing strategic effects. But modernization—and the resources that go along with it—is desperately needed.
We … need the help to make the case that while we are the oldest and the smallest, it’s not too late. We can recapitalize,” Pfluger said, lamenting that budget increases cannot be split evenly among the services if the Air Force is to shoulder much of the operational load.
More Airmen in Congress would help him make the case to other lawmakers, Pfluger said. For now, he gets help from Representatives and Senators who represent key Air Force installations. But he also urged Air Force leaders to make their case to Congress.
“We need Air Force leaders to be bold,” Pfluger said. “We need you to be bold to tell the truth, to say we’re underfunded.”
Multiyear Procurement
While the Air Force needs to make its case to Congress, Congress can help the Air Force by not only providing more resources, but making those resources more consistent.
Pentagon officials frequently decry the effects of continuing resolutions and government shutdowns when lawmakers fail to pass appropriations on time.
A more “predictable environment” is important, Pfluger agreed. One way to do that is multiyear procurement authorities—letting the Pentagon award contracts for multiple years instead of being reliant on annual cycles. Congress must approve any and all programs for which Pentagon wants to use multiyear procurement.
Defense officials say multiyear procurement saves the government money by locking in lower prices and helps industry by providing a stable demand signal. In the past, lawmakers have raised concerns about oversight, but they have grown increasingly open to granting more authorities.
Congress has already implemented multiyear procurement for a range of munitions programs, but members of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees have voted to authorize it for the F-35 and F-15EX as part of the 2027 defense policy bill. That bill is still pending, but Pfluger projected confidence that expanded multiyear procurement authorities are coming.
“I’m very convinced that we’re very close to getting some of these things accomplished,” Pfluger said
