Skip to main content (Press Enter).
 News
    
        Photos

    Week in Photos

    Air Force TV

    Commentaries

    Features

    Art

    About Us
    
        Air Force Senior Leaders
    
        SECAF

    CSAF

    CMSAF

    Biographies

    Fact Sheets

    SECAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library
    
        CSAF Leadership Library 2022

    CSAF Leadership Library 2021

    CSAF Reading List Pre-2020 Archive
    
        2018 CSAF Reading List

    2017 CSAF Reading List

    2016 CSAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library 2023

    CMSAF Leadership Library

    50 Years of the CMSAF

    Adjunct Professors

    Air Force Strategic Documents

    Arctic Strategy

    Empowered Airmen

    State Licensure Portability

    Careers

    AF Federal Advisory Committees

    AF 75th Anniversary

    Policy Updates

    AF Content Management

    Contact Us

    AF Sites
    
        Site RegistrationU.S. Air Force LogoAir Force

        Policy UpdatesNewsroomReoptimizationBIOGRAPHIESAF Senior Leaders      Acting Secretary of the Air Force Eric Fanning, addresses members of the Air Force Association Nov 22, 2013, during the AFA Pacific Air & Space Symposium, Los Angeles, Calif. Fanning spoke on the state of the force and the Air Force’s position in space and cyberspace.Acting Secretary of the Air Force Eric Fanning, addresses members of the Air Force Association Nov 22, 2013, during the AFA Pacific Air & Space Symposium, Los Angeles, Calif. Fanning spoke on the state of the force and the Air Force’s position in space and cyberspace.
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res
        


        Acting Secretary of the Air Force Eric Fanning, addresses members of the Air Force Association Nov 22, 2013, during the AFA Pacific Air & Space Symposium, Los Angeles, Cali. Fanning spoke on the state of the force and the Air Force’s position in space and cyberspace.Acting Secretary of the Air Force Eric Fanning, addresses members of the Air Force Association Nov 22, 2013, during the AFA Pacific Air & Space Symposium, Los Angeles, Calif. Fanning spoke on the state of the force and the Air Force’s position in space and cyberspace.
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res
        


        Acting Secretary of the Air Force Eric Fanning (right) speaks with Gen. Hawk Carlisle, Pacific Air Forces commander(left) before the beginning of events Nov 22, 2013, at at the Air Force Association Pacific Air & Space Symposium, Los Angeles, Calif. Fanning spoke on the state of the force and the Air Force’s position in space and cyberspace. Carlisle is the commander of the Pacific Air Forces.Acting Secretary of the Air Force Eric Fanning (right) speaks with Gen. Hawk Carlisle, Pacific Air Forces commander(left) before the beginning of events Nov 22, 2013, at at the Air Force Association Pacific Air & Space Symposium, Los Angeles, Calif. Fanning spoke on the state of the force and the Air Force’s position in space and cyberspace. Carlisle is the commander of the Pacific Air Forces.
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res

Acting SecAF highlights challenges of Pacific rebalance, space operationsPublished Nov. 22, 2013
                    
                    By Airman 1st Class Alexander W. Riedel
                    
                    
                    Air Force News Service
            **LOS ANGELES (AFNS) --**In his keynote address at the Air Force Association’s 2013 Pacific Air & Space Symposium Nov. 22 here, Acting Secretary of the Air Force Eric K. Fanning delivered his perspective on the state of space operations and the ongoing rebalance to the Asia-Pacific region.

Highlighting challenges of sequestration and budget approval, Fanning stressed a need for investment and innovation in air and space defense of the future.

With funding cuts forming the new reality for the military, Fanning presented his view of the present uncertainty by quoting James A. Winnefeld, the ninth Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, “We don’t know how much money we are going to have, we don’t know when we’ll know how much money we are going to have and we don’t know what the rules are going to be.”

Reflecting this uncertainty, service leaders have prepared two budgets, he said -- one of which takes severe impacts of sequestration into account. However, the secretary expressed doubt that either Air Force budget requests are going to be met as written.

“The Air Force, anticipating sequestered levels, is having to make some very difficult choices,” he said. “And it impacts the other services ... We’ve been forced to make some cuts that have been unpalatable.”

Citing lack of flexibility within the process of sequestration and stalled plans for base realignments and closures, Fanning said the service retains excess infrastructure which means additional costs. The pressure to achieve savings is insidious and comes at a cost to readiness and investment, leading the Air Force to become a smaller, less capable force in the future.

“It’s going to be a long, tough slog for us to figure out what (fiscal 2015) is going to be,” Fanning said. “Ironically, of course, we don’t know what (fiscal 2014) is going to be and here we are already.”

In spite of fiscal challenges, Fanning said the historical trend calls for a continued increase of demand for airpower into the future. With a growing need for logistics, space and combat support, other services will also feel the impact to Air Force cuts, he said.

In a time of rebalance to the Asia-Pacific theater, Fanning said airpower is particularly well suited to meet the challenges posed by the vast distances in the region and current threats.

“We are dedicated to building and sustaining long-term relationships in the region that help build capacity and capability among our allies, friends and partners,” the secretary said. “When you’re dealing with budget-constraint issues like we are today, it is even more important to work with our partners and not push them away. It is more effective and efficient to work together to accomplish our mutual goal of peace and prosperity.”

Maintaining the rebalance to the Pacific requires a stable level of presence in the Pacific, despite anticipated force reductions.

“We’ll have to get smaller in order to maintain readiness and qualitative advantage,” he said. ”We anticipate, unless Congress drastically alters the sequester-level cuts, that we will have to reduce our active-duty forces by up to 20,000 Airmen.”

Part of the goal of putting the Air Force on a glide path to fly, fight and win in the future, Fanning said, is a continued commitment to game-changing acquisition programs and a focus on the battlefield of the future: space, cyberspace and ISR.

“Despite our success, we can see the security landscape change before our eyes,” he said. “It is very rare that any operation, on any level, is not somehow dependent on space or cyberspace capabilities we, the Air Force, provide.”

The degree of U.S. and allied reliance on precision, forward operations, global communication networks and remotely piloted aircraft increases the need for a robust and modern space architecture, he said, while making space assets valid targets for adversaries and malicious actors.

“Just about anyone from the president to the JTAC in the field depends on space capabilities the Air Force provides,” he said. “However, the threat is becoming more acute ... We must protect our current space capabilities, and prepare to operate the space systems of the future.”

With rising international and commercial space activity, the space domain is becoming more contested and crowded -- reducing room to operate and increasing the risk of dangerous and costly on-orbit collision of space vehicles. Fanning cautioned that budget pressures have already acutely impacted the space situational awareness mission, a “crown jewel” of national defense.

“We were forced to shut down the Air Force Space Surveillance system, after 52 years of service,” he said. “This closing decreased the robustness of our space situational awareness.”

Stating the requirement of more resilient space systems and operations, Fanning stressed the need for innovative solutions that balance vital capability, affordability, and resilience.

“While we work with industry to develop a more resilient future architecture, we will continue our commitments to our civilian, military and international partners and to programs such as GPS,” he said. “I believe that our plan to affordably build space resiliency will allow us to continue to provide the United States and partners an unparalleled advantage in space in the next decades.”Acting SecAF 



AFA 



Air Force Association 



AFA Pacific Air & Space Symposium 



Eric Fanning Featured News
        Senior Leader Priorities
                SecAF Kendall visits Bangor ANG Base
                    
                    Vice President Harris congratulates USAFA Class of ‘24
                    
                    Senate confirms Melissa Dalton as next Under Secretary of the Air Force
                    
                    ‘One Team, One Fight’: SecAF visits Keesler AFB
                    
                    SecAF Kendall experiences VISTA of future flight test at Edwards AFBInnovation
                AFSFC reaches final phase of fielding Model Defender gear
                    
                    Around the Air Force: PCS Allowances, Air Task Forces, All-Volunteer Force
                    
                    AFIMSC focuses I-WEPTAC topics on GPC solutions
                    
                    Optimizing AI, Air University hosts Artificial Intelligence Symposium
                    
                    AFIMSC tools deliver data-driven solutions across DAFMAJCOM News
                AFMC to expand AcqDemo workforce
                    
                    AFMC empowers small businesses for Air Force reoptimization
                    
                    Acquisition Instructor Course Class 25A open for nominations
                    
                    Air Guard leaders host 2024 Wing Leader Conference
                    
                    Referral bonuses aim to help fill mission-critical vacancies
 Quick Links
AccessibilityContact UsEqual OpportunityFOIA | Privacy | Section 508Information QualityInspector GeneralJAG Court-Martial DocketLink DisclaimerNo FEAR ActOpen GovernmentOSI Tip LinePlain LanguageQuestionsResilienceRSSSite MapVeterans Crisis LineCareers
Join the Air ForceAir Force BenefitsAir Force CareersAir Force ReserveAir National GuardCivilian ServiceConnect
            Get Social with Us
            
            Official United States Air Force Website
    Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil