In light of the Air Force’s financial woes—and its inability to fund even some fundamental requirements—a reporter asked Secretary Michael Donley Friday whether the United States’ ability to project global power is in decline. “I certainly don’t believe that at all,” Donley responded during his media availability at AFA’s Air Warfare Symposium in Orlando, Fla. He added, “The United States is still—and as far as I can tell, will remain—an essential force for stability in international security.”
A combined Navy and Air Force program is seeking to build a smaller version of a ubiquitous air-to-air missile that could give advanced aircraft, such as the Collaborative Combat Aircraft, greater magazine depth in a high-end fight.