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United States Air Force Posture Statement

Fiscal Year 2021

United States Air Force

Presentation to the 

Armed Services Committee

of the

United States Senate

2nd Session, 116th Congress

Statement of:

The Honorable Barbara Barrett

Secretary of the Air Force

General David L. Goldfein

Chief of Staff, United States Air Force

NOT FOR PUBLICATION UNTIL RELEASED

BY THE U.S. SENATE ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE
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United States Air Force Posture Statement

Fiscal Year 2021 President’s Budget Request

Statement of:

The Honorable Barbara Barrett

Secretary of the Air Force

General David L. Goldfein

Chief of Staff, United States Air Force

AIR FORCE DESIGN FOR GREAT POWER COMPETITION

The international security environment is rapidly changing and becoming increasingly complex. 

China and Russia present real and growing threats to the national security of the United States and our 

allies. They continue to employ aggressive tactics to coerce neighbors, suppress dissent, and undermine 

freedom. Iran and North Korea seek outsized regional influence through violent extremism or the

pursuit of nuclear weapons. These and other nations are pursuing capabilities specifically designed to 

limit or negate the advantages of the United States and our allies.

The 2018 National Defense Strategy (NDS) reoriented United States defense strategy to focus 

primarily on great power competition with China and Russia. This shift profoundly changes the 

conversation on U.S. defense strategy, plans, and programs. We are developing new operational 

concepts to focus on more fully integrating joint military capabilities across warfighting domains. We 

will employ U.S. military forces in more distributed ways as we build technologies to connect those 

forces into advanced battle networks. 

The United States Air Force has been working to align with the NDS for several years. In 2018, 

we needed Congress’ help to recover from the damaging effects of sequestration and halt declining 

readiness across the force. The NDS and Nuclear Posture Review (NPR) were also released in 2018, 

and we began to align future conventional and nuclear forces design with the guidance in these 

documents. 

In 2019, we continued readiness recovery, making significant gains across multiple aircraft and 

spacecraft fleets and mission sets. The Air Force also worked with Congress to make essential decisions 

on two important programs—the Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (JSTARS) and the 

Overhead Persistent Infrared (OPIR) satellite system—that set the tone for future modernization. The 

plan for recapitalizing these platforms had to change as they would not have survived in future conflict 

given the emerging threats. We moved away from developing large, vulnerable aircraft and satellite 

systems, and instead pursued the Advanced Battle Management System (ABMS) and Next-Generation 

OPIR. These systems are essential to robust Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2) and the 

networked future force.
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The Air Force’s 2020 budget submission was our first informed by and focused directly on 2018 

National Defense Strategy implementation. The demands this strategy placed on the Air Force drove 

Congress to ask: what forces are required to successfully execute the NDS? The Air Force We Need

study assessed the baseline capacity required to meet NDS objectives, assuming current capabilities and 

concepts, at medium risk based on Combatant Commander Operational Plans and Timelines. As we 

established this baseline, we also made key organizational changes to drive toward future capabilities 

and concepts. Significantly, we helped launch the U.S. Space Force which now stands as an equal 

branch of the military. 

In preparation for the 2021 submission, the Department of the Air Force conducted an exhaustive 

review of our portfolios and made hard decisions to better align with the NDS. Some choices required 

investments in the future at the expense of legacy platforms. In doing so, we will accept calculated 

short-term risk to pursue the Secretary of Defense’s goal of irreversible momentum toward NDS 

implementation. We conducted multiple, complex wargame scenarios to assess alternative warfighting 

approaches against a peer adversary. We shared the results with Congress over the past year and talked 

openly about the implications for our Air Force. This 2021 budget reflects current analysis on the Air 

Force We Need for the future.

To achieve the objectives of the NDS, the United States Air Force will pursue an integrated 

design and field modernized forces that can:

• Connect the Joint Force so we can more seamlessly integrate as a Joint team,

• Dominate Space through support of our sister service, the United States Space Force,

• Generate Combat Power to blunt any attack against the U.S. or our allies, and 

• Conduct Logistics Under Attack to sustain high-tempo operations as long as needed.

In each of these areas, we will work with Congress and our sister services, industry, academia, 

allies, and partners to develop and field innovative solutions. While focusing on the four key investment 

areas above, we will also continue to provide Combatant Commanders with Ready Forces to conduct 

Strategic Deterrence, Homeland Defense, and Counter Violent Extremism.

Finally, Developing and Caring For Our People and Their Families is an enduring 

imperative. American parents have entrusted their sons and daughters to our care. It is our sacred duty 

to ensure they are properly organized, trained, equipped, and courageously led. It is also our 

responsibility to take care of their families. With the enduring support of Congress, we will continue to 

provide them the resources and support they deserve.

UNITED STATES AIR FORCE DESIGN PRIORITIES

CONNECT THE JOINT FORCE

Modern warfare is increasingly all-domain. Conflicts are not limited to the air or space or land 

or sea or cyber. Rather, they involve engagement in and effects across many or all domains, 

simultaneously. To prevail, the future joint force must be prepared to employ Joint All-Domain 

Operations (JADO), where individual military activities are more than synchronized or deconflicted. 
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Instead, activities in one domain enhance the effectiveness of those in other domains and compensate for 

vulnerabilities. 

Joint All Domain Operations as a new Joint Warfighting Concept creates simultaneous dilemmas 

for adversary forces, overwhelming them with too many threats to counter successfully. The Air Force 

will generate windows of superiority in air and cyberspace, with the joint force converging on the most 

important targets at speed and scale. When the Air Force employs in concert with Army, Navy, Marine 

Corps, and Space Force capabilities, opponents will have to defend their forces across all domains, all 

the time. 

 

The Air Force will enable JADO by helping connect all forces into a cohesive battle network in 

ways they are not connected today. For example, our fifth-generation aircraft cannot easily share data 

with some legacy fighters, sensors on many Navy ships cannot cue Army Air Defense Artillery 

batteries, and Soldiers and Marines in battle cannot always access real-time video feeds from our 

international partners. The key to this effort is to build on our Advanced Battle Management System 

investments. ABMS is the foundation of true Joint All-Domain Command and Control which enables 

convergence of joint combat power. JADC2 connects sensors, systems, and weapons from different 

services and nations to allow the seamless sharing of information to all friendly forces. Our FY21 

budget includes funding to develop the network, connectivity, and infrastructure for this critical 

capability while working closely with joint, interagency, and international partners. 

The Air Force is leading efforts to develop JADC2, and early experiments are already yielding 

positive results. A recent demonstration in Florida connected Air Force aircraft, Space Force sensors, 

Navy surface vessels, and Army Air Defense Artillery units to successfully defeat a simulated cruise 

missile attack. This joint team achieved 26 of 28 connectivity objectives and a series of firsts in this 

initial effort to effectively employ JADC2 in an operational setting directly supporting the Commander 

of USNORTHCOM/NORAD in defense of the homeland. This FY21 budget accelerates JADC2 

experimentation, and the next demonstration is planned for April 2020.

To achieve true JADC2, this budget invests in digital engineering and common data architecture 

to connect our Air Forces with Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Space Force, and international teammates. 

Success in modern warfare requires a digital infrastructure with more open data systems than we have 

today. As part of these efforts, we will continue investments in the Digital Air Force initiative as we 

transition from in-house communications networks to an Enterprise Information Technology as a 

Service framework, using best practices of industry. This allows Airmen to focus more on warfighting 

and less on maintenance of our networks. The FY21 budget expands investments in technology 

solutions that streamline non-essential tasks for our Airmen.

DOMINATE SPACE: THE UNITED STATES SPACE FORCE

Maintaining a position of advantage in space is essential to winning in future conflicts. The 

President formally declared space a warfighting domain in March 2018 with the announcement of the 

new National Space Strategy. On 20 December 2019, the President and Congress established the United 

States Space Force as the newest branch of the Armed Forces, an historic milestone for our nation. The 

standup of the U.S. Space Force is a critical priority for the Department of the Air Force. The Air Force 
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will aggressively support our sister service as they develop the capabilities, warfighting doctrine, and 

expertise needed to outpace future threats. 

While the Space Force will eventually drive budgets, personnel, and operations of our space 

capabilities, the Air Force retains many systems and personnel in the near term. We will work with our 

joint teammates to support the transition of space systems and the professionals who employ them.

GENERATE COMBAT POWER

To prevail in future conflict, the joint force must generate sufficient combat power to blunt an 

attack against the U.S. or its allies. The Air Force will deliver rapid, lethal warfighting capability to 

Combatant Commanders. Air forces are expected to arrive first because we fly into theater and are then 

called to halt enemy activity while follow-on joint and allied forces are brought to bear. This budget 

continues critical recapitalization across multiple missions to include the B-21, KC-46, F-35, F-15EX, 

HH-60W, and T-7 fleets along with the critical munitions and sensor suites required for Joint AllDomain Operations.

In addition, this budget modernizes existing platforms that will fly well into the next two 

decades. Examples include a modernized B-52 with new engines and upgraded radar technology and 

munitions delivery options; updated F-16s with advanced fire control radars and datalinks; and the 

venerable A-10 which will provide close air support to ground forces well into the 2030s. Connecting 

these platforms, sensors, and weapons through ABMS and JADC2 will maintain their viability and 

combat lethality.

The fighter force is one example of how this budget invests in a new way of generating combat 

power. The Next-Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program is maturing novel technologies for the 

networked, multi-domain joint force. NGAD will integrate legacy and future platforms with a mix of 

manned, unmanned, and optionally-manned aircraft. 

This budget continues to fund Air Force investments in the intelligence, surveillance, and 

reconnaissance (ISR) platforms, systems, and capabilities that enable current joint force operations. At 

the same time, it lays the foundation for an architecture that will eventually link sensors, shooters, and 

decision makers. The Air Force seeks to balance both near- and long-term risk by right-sizing the ISR 

available to dominate today’s fight, while building the ISR enterprise necessary to provide decision 

superiority to the joint force in the future.

This budget takes full advantage of breakthroughs in digital design technology by investing in 

three critical areas: digital engineering, agile software development, and open systems architectures. 

Recent application of digital design technology in the T-7 program resulted in an 80% reduction in 

assembly hours versus conventional aircraft design and manufacturing methods. This engagement with 

industry will allow us to develop smaller fleets of new aircraft much faster with rapid technological 

innovation and adaptation. It is not good enough to procure better airplanes and satellites; rather, we 

must design and build systems differently today.

This budget submission pursues advanced technologies and incorporates them into our weapons 

and platforms. These technologies include hypersonic, directed energy, autonomy, cyber, 
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propulsion, and mass weapon payload systems. These future capabilities will complement existing 

systems to allow us to achieve effects against enemy targets, kinetically or non-kinetically, in all 

domains, at speed and scale previously unseen.

Even as we generate combat power in new ways, humans will still operate in many of our 

combat aircraft. This will place them in harm’s way and potentially require their rescue from hostile 

areas. Recovering isolated personnel remains a no-fail mission, so we are continuing our efforts to 

modernize our rescue aircraft. In 2019, we began testing our first HH-60W aircraft. This budget 

continues acquisitions as we recapitalize the helicopter fleet. In 2021, we will retire the first 27 legacy 

HH-60 aircraft.

CONDUCT LOGISTICS UNDER ATTACK

Since the end of World War II, the United States has relied on established, fully-supplied, and 

well-defended bases. Today, American forces are extremely efficient in deploying large numbers of 

people, materiel, and weapons systems across the globe to fight from a small number of forward 

operating bases with well-developed infrastructure. 

Our assessment, in line with the NDS, indicates that future battlefields will not allow us to fight 

this way, so we must be prepared to move to win. The Air Force will invest in forward-based stocks to 

enable forces to rapidly deploy to distributed forward locations. These locations will vary in size, setup, 

and security, so we must be postured to protect our forces and make it difficult for enemies to target 

them.

Logistics will need to be lean and agile, allowing us to rapidly move people and materiel to and 

within a theater. As we reinvent logistics, the Air Force is investing in future transportation platforms 

and autonomous capabilities. We will continue to develop and field future vertical lift to move smaller 

amounts of equipment quickly to many more places than in the past. In these efforts, we are closely 

engaged with our sister services and industry to reimagine what is possible. These capabilities will be 

integrated with our battle networks, so we are taking steps to reinforce supply chain security with the 

components, subcomponents, materials, and software incorporated into defense systems and equipment.

In addition to developing future capabilities, we will continue investing in our existing and 

modernized mobility aircraft fleets. The joint force will depend upon the KC-46 to provide force 

extension and power projection. The Air Force continues to work closely with the contractor to reach 

full mission-capable status. This budget retires sixteen KC-10s and thirteen KC-135s in FY21 while 

maintaining the required 479 tanker aircraft. We are also looking closely at the right mix between 

modernized and legacy tactical airlift platforms.

READY FORCES

The United States Air Force fields capabilities the nation relies upon every day. Airmen are 

always on duty: standing the watch in missile launch facilities; conducting intelligence, surveillance, and 

reconnaissance missions; patrolling and defending the cyber domain; delivering nuclear command, 

control, and communications capabilities; and guarding our skies. As we modernize to counter growing 

threats, we must also ensure that forces remain ready and able to offer options to our Nation’s leaders. 
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The demand for Air Force capabilities across the globe remains high. Over 28,000 Airmen 

deployed worldwide last year as part of the joint team to deliver America’s air, space, and cyber power. 

In 2019, our service members flew more than 75,000 strike sorties and employed more than 11,000 

weapons in Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan. Mobility forces conducted more than 27,000 airlift and 

refueling sorties across the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, offloading more than 590 

million pounds of fuel and moving more than 226 million pounds of cargo. Air Force personnel 

deployed in support of NATO collective defense missions in Poland and the Baltic States, filled 

continuous bomber rotations in the U.S. Central Command and U.S. Indo-Pacific Command areas of 

responsibility, and brought humanitarian assistance to millions of people in need around the world. 

Despite this operations tempo, a major success story over the past several years has been the 

improved readiness across our force following the harmful effects of sequestration. We have increased 

mission capable rates across our pacing squadrons—our most in-demand units—and are continuing our 

efforts across all fleets. This budget requests $17 billion in sustainment and support for weapons 

systems and $9 billion for 1.2 million flying hours to train and hone combat proficiency.

The Air Force is also expanding investment into harnessing the power of data and the 

efficiencies it brings to operations. Predictive maintenance initiatives have yielded faster and cheaper 

maintenance for our C-5 and KC-135 fleets, and this budget expands the initiative to other aircraft. We 

are digitizing data from years of maintaining legacy platforms, such as the B-52, to preserve and extend 

some of our oldest aircraft. 

In 2018, we faced major readiness deficits which negatively impacted the morale of our Airmen. 

With the support of Congress, we have made major improvements to readiness over the past three 

budget years and are now more ready than at any time in the last decade. The momentum is undeniable.

STRATEGIC DETERRENCE

Nuclear deterrence is the highest priority mission of the Department of Defense – our deterrent 

underwrites every U.S. military operation around the world and is the foundation and backstop of our 

national defense. As the steward of two-thirds of the nuclear triad, the Air Force needs the continued 

support of Congress to maintain the nation’s credible and effective strategic deterrent. This need is even 

more critical today, due to the on-going evolution and fielding of other countries’ strategic nuclear 

capabilities, including hypersonic weapons, which continue to challenge U.S. and allied security. 

The Air Force is making significant investments in modernization and recapitalization programs 

that address both delivery platforms and weapons. Modernized versions of existing weapons, such as 

guided bombs, and modern replacements for existing capabilities, such as the Long-Range Standoff 

Weapon, will be joined by new technologies that provide advanced capabilities to the joint force. These 

systems are being fielded on a tight schedule that depends on stable requirements and resources to 

ensure our national strategic deterrence mission does not fail.

The Minuteman Intercontinental Ballistic Missile weapon system has served as the bedrock of 

nuclear deterrence since 1962. However, this system’s service life can no longer be extended. The 

Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent developed in this budget represents a modern, sustainable design with 
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the capabilities to ensure the Nation maintains its most responsive leg of the nuclear Triad well into the 

21st century.

Our nuclear-capable bomber force represents the most flexible leg of the nuclear triad. The Air 

Force’s future bomber, the B-21 Raider, is proceeding on schedule and on cost, and the initial test 

aircraft is progressing toward first flight. The Raider will be the core of our future nuclear-capable 

bomber fleet, and we are committed to fully funding the program in its current development phase to 

maintain our aggressive and critical timeline for bringing it online. Combined with the Long Range 

Standoff Weapon, investments in this budget for B-21 development and B-52 modernization will 

maintain America’s capability to deter adversary aggression, assure allies, and project combat power 

across the full spectrum of conflict.

To modernize the nation’s strategic and bomber forces, we propose an acceptable reduction in 

near-term capacity to increase overall capability. The B-1 fleet is nearing the end of its service life. For 

a period of time last year, only 12 of the 55 aircraft in the B-1 fleet were fully mission-capable. We 

propose retiring 17 B-1 aircraft in FY21 to invest in the most mission-capable bombers.

2020 is the Year of Integrated Base Defense, focusing on training and equipping our Airmen to 

defend bases as our primary power projection platforms as we guard our nation’s critical installations 

and infrastructure. This FY21 budget continues developing and deploying the technology to fully 

integrate the command, control, and communications capabilities essential to effective base defense.

Congress has recognized the importance of modernizing U.S. nuclear forces after decades of 

deferred recapitalization and has fully funded these programs. We request continued support to 

modernize and sustain the Nation’s nuclear deterrent.

HOMELAND DEFENSE

Our ready forces that support the homeland defense mission include radars and early warning 

systems, alert aircraft and aircrew, and supporting infrastructure. This FY21 budget invests across all 

these areas. The centerpiece of the overall Department of Defense budget, Joint All-Domain Command 

and Control, is the most essential investment we can make to enable the Commander 

USNORTHCOM/NORAD to have the situational awareness and the ability to bring joint all-domain 

capabilities to bear. We continue to partner with this team daily on the number one mission in the NDS: 

defense of the homeland.

Defense of the homeland includes defeating malicious threats online, where we must counter 

direct aggression as well as indirect sources of influence. Air Force cyber warriors are constantly at 

work, under the newly-reactivated 16th Air Force, to “Defend Forward” with actions to deter adverse 

action and defend friendly networks and information. We are also closely examining all friendly 

systems and capabilities to identify and mitigate potential cyber vulnerabilities and reduce the potential 

for adversary exploitation.

To successfully execute the Homeland Defense mission, the Air Force will continue upgrading 

limited numbers of existing aircraft to include modernizing the radars in some F-16s. These updated 

legacy aircraft will be complemented by new-build F-15EX aircraft which are significantly more 
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capable and cost-effective than the F-15Cs they will replace, aircraft already many years past their 

designed specifications and no longer candidates for service life extensions. The F-15EX will help 

eliminate the gap between the fighter aircraft we have and the fighter aircraft we need while leveraging 

other nations’ investments in updating the F-15 program. Ultimately, the Air Force must field a robust 

fighter force, anchored by the F-35, able to detect and defeat threats across a wide spectrum. Homeland 

defense requires a mix of 4th- and 5th-generation capabilities, and we are investing to achieve that 

future force.

Engagement across the globe also contributes to the Homeland Defense mission. As we build a 

network of partners, allies, and emerging security partners, we enlist help in deterring aggression and 

containing threats. We will continue to provide training and assistance to foreign nations through 

military equipment sales, training programs, and personnel exchanges. The Air Force remains 

committed to collaboration with key allies and partners, and we have accelerated and expanded 

combined participation in air and space operations, exercises, wargames, and education.

Residing at the intersection between the U.S. Homeland and two critical regions—Indo-Pacific 

and Europe—the Arctic is an increasingly vital region for U.S. national security interests. The Air Force 

has more missions and investments in this region than any other U.S. military service. We are a 

cornerstone of the Nation’s defense in this region with installations positioned across Alaska, Canada, 

and Greenland and composed of large air bases, training complexes, and a constellation of more than 50 

early-warning radars and missile defense facilities. We are continuing our investments to include the 

upcoming beddown of the F-35 at Eielson AFB, placing more 5th-generation aircraft in Alaska than 

anywhere else in the world. In addition to modernizing the world-class Joint Pacific Range Complex, 

we continue to build interoperability with Arctic allies and partners. Sustained future investment in 

modernized missile defense, enhanced space capabilities, and improved domain awareness will ensure 

the Joint Force can respond to contingencies in, and from, the Arctic.

COUNTER VIOLENT EXTREMISM 

Countering violent extremist organizations (VEO) is a critical and complex mission that requires 

interagency and international cooperation. The military is one source of power available for this task, 

and the Air Force is at the leading edge of these efforts. Airmen of Air Force Special Operations 

Command (AFSOC) are engaged worldwide to counter VEOs. They are coordinating airstrikes, 

conducting direct action missions, employing munitions, and providing persistent armed overwatch and 

intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities.

We are also working to build partner capacity and help foreign forces combat VEOs in their own 

homelands. The Air Force, working with the Office of the Secretary of Defense, has split the Light 

Attack experiment into two separate but linked efforts. First, building on the FY19 approval to procure 

several AT-6 and A-29 aircraft, we are establishing two experimental detachments at Hurlburt Field and 

Nellis AFB. Using these aircraft as prototypes, we will continue development and fielding of a 

coalition-friendly battle network that increases interoperability and allied and partner contributions. 

Second, we will partner with U.S. Special Operations Command through our air component, AFSOC, to 

build requirements and rapidly field armed overwatch aircraft to support ongoing and future counterVEO and counter-terrorism missions.
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These two efforts are complementary as the Light Attack experiment feeds technology and 

tactics, techniques, and procedures for this fight while we improve support for our Special Operations 

Forces engaged in combat operations. We appreciate the support of Congress as we continue this 

important work.

DEVELOPING OUR AIRMEN 

Our platforms and systems may be the best in the world, but our most valuable assets are our 

people. With the support of Congress, we have grown our force over the last three budget years by 

7,820 Airmen on the way to an active force of 333,700 for a total force of 699,013 authorized end 

strength to include Active Duty, Guard, Reserve, and Civilian Airmen. Our FY21 budget adds 1,500 

additional personnel in F-35 and refueling operations, maintenance, and combat support. 

Additionally, we are currently developing detailed plans to transfer more than 6,000 personnel 

into the U.S. Space Force in FY21. We will continue developing this cadre of Space professionals 

across more than 15 career fields who will eventually form the core of a Space Force that will protect 

U.S. interests in space well into the future. During the transition, members eligible for transfer will be 

provided options, depending on their specialty code, their preferences, and Service needs. We also 

anticipate that Airmen will continue to provide support to the Space Force across numerous other 

functions, to include legal, chaplain, and medical career fields.

The Air Force is continuing our efforts to develop the joint leaders essential to our future force. 

In order to develop and promote the right kind of leaders, we have established criteria by which we 

assess performance and potential. Underpinned by a foundation of impeccable character, we ask of our 

leaders:

• How well do they accomplish their mission?

• How well do they lead their Airmen or Space professionals?

• How do they manage the resources they have been assigned?

• How have they improved their unit?

We have also reformed our promotion boards, expanding the Line category into six competitive subcategories in order to better match personnel with requirements. Furthermore, we are eliminating below 

the primary zone promotions to better align the experience and rank of our officer corps with those of 

our sister services while allowing our leaders more time to develop the excellence and expertise they 

will need.

Diverse, resilient, and ready Airmen are the bedrock of the Department’s readiness and lethality. 

We are continuing efforts to increase representation of diverse service members through a number of 

initiatives. These include the Rated Diversity Improvement Strategy, the Air Force Junior ROTC Flight 

Academy, recruiting efforts at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and the AviationInspiration-Motivation (AIM) High Outreach Program which engages young females through interaction 

with Air and Space Force role models. Increasing the overall diversity of our force is a warfighting 

imperative, and we are committed to fielding and developing a diverse Air Force.

CARING FOR OUR PEOPLE AND THEIR FAMILIES 
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While we develop our people, we must also care for them and their families. The Air Force, 

along with our sister services, continues to address numerous challenges. These include suicide and 

sexual assault, aircrew retention, personnel retraining, spouse employment opportunities, quality of 

schools and Privatized Military Housing, and PFAS issues affecting our installations and the 

communities that host them.

Suicide and sexual assault continue to be insidious threats to our force. Suicide devastates 

families and units, and it affects the entire Service. Sexual assault is a crime against a fellow Airman, 

one which is unacceptable and unthinkable. We will continue to devote resources and invest in 

programs, such as the True North initiative, which are designed to increase resiliency and connectedness 

among our Airmen. We will reinforce a culture of dignity and respect where our people feel protected, 

valued, and supported. 

Shortages across our aircrew career fields persist as threats to readiness. We have seen signs of 

progress in addressing these complex and critical issues, but much work remains. We must increase 

production, absorption, and retention of aircrew and their families. The Air Force is employing lessons 

learned from Pilot Training Next, now in its 3rd major iteration, to streamline undergraduate pilot, 

combat systems officer, and air battle manager training programs. 

Absorbing new aircrew into mission-ready units and providing necessary experience remains a 

challenge. Total Force partnerships help us place newly-trained members in highly-experienced units as 

we strive to balance experience levels across the force. These efforts require retaining aircrew, 

especially pilots, in higher numbers than in recent years. We are expanding the Career Intermission 

Program to provide flexibility and choice to our aircrews as they reach critical career decision points.

Our investments in this budget will involve some mission changes for some units, to include our 

Reserve and Air National Guard forces. Aircraft type or mission changes will require new skills, and we 

are committed to retaining and retraining personnel as we adjust capabilities. We are expanding efforts 

to ease transitions from Active to Reserve and Guard components, allowing increased flexibility along a 

continuum of service. Even with changing aircraft or missions, there are no plans to inactivate any 

wings at this time. 

Airmen could not make the necessary sacrifices to serve without the support of their families, 

and the Air Force is making investments to address crucial quality of life concerns. Alongside our sister 

services, we will continue to advocate for reciprocal professional licensing for spouses and improved 

quality of schools. We have recently implemented the Support of Military Families initiative, which 

will explicitly consider such issues when the Department of the Air Force makes basing decisions. 

A vital part of caring for our Airmen and their families is providing a safe, secure environment 

for them to live and work. We are addressing serious challenges with Military Privatized Housing and 

have directed considerable resources toward correcting substandard living conditions. This budget 

increases manning at the base level, providing personnel required for proper oversight of our Project 

Owners and advocacy for our residents. We will also continue to address the root causes of mold or 

moisture issues in many of our housing units. Along with our sister services, we are preparing to 

institute a Privatized Housing Tenants’ Bill of Rights to further empower residents. We are committed 
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to regaining the trust of families who have been let down, and we will continue this work for as long as 

it takes to get it right.

PFAS is a national issue that requires national solutions. The Department has already spent 

$447.5M identifying, investigating, and responding to PFAS releases; taken drinking water response 

actions at 23 installations to improve safety; and completed 165 of 189 required CERCLA PFAS Site 

Inspections. To enable our continued work, this budget requests $304 million for the Environmental 

Restoration program as part of the total $851 million Environmental Program request at Active and 

Guard bases. 

MOVING FORWARD 

The message of the National Defense Strategy is crystal clear: a more lethal, resilient, and 

rapidly innovating Joint Force, combined with a robust constellation of allies and partners, will sustain 

American influence and ensure favorable balances of power that safeguard the free and open

international order. Failure to meet our defense objectives will result in decreasing U.S. global 

influence, eroding cohesion among allies and partners, and a loss of military advantage. 

To align the U.S. Air Force with this direction, we are putting forward an aggressive budget 

based on a new blueprint for joint warfighting. Joint All Domain Operations and the command and 

control networks required to connect the joint team form the centerpiece of this strategy. If we are to 

achieve the vision of the NDS, the joint force must fight together and deliver all-domain capabilities in a 

way that overwhelms our adversaries. We must acknowledge that all global military operations are 

connected to and rely on a safe, secure, and effective nuclear arsenal. We appreciate Congress’ support 

with on-time budgets and the willingness to take prudent near-term risk to build a winning, networked 

force of the future. With this budget, the Air Force makes significant contributions to achieving 

irreversible momentum toward implementing the National Defense Strategy.