The Air Force of 2020 from the Chief’s Eyes: Chief of Staff 
Gen. Mark Welsh said he has exactly the same vision for the Air Force of 2020 that he has for the Air Force of today. “I would like to see a proud, well-trained, well-equipped, confident, and ready Air Force with airmen who share a commitment and an understanding to, and of, each other,” he responded when asked about this during the four-star forum at AFA’s Air & Space Conference in National Harbor, Md., on Sept. 19. He added that he wants those future airmen, like today’s, to “have a common understanding of where we stand and where we are headed as an Air Force, and who know that they are a totally empowered part of the engine that will take us there.”
A major planned upgrade for the F-35 fighter’s engine is expected to reach a major milestone in August when it undergoes its critical design review, an Air Force official said July 27.