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      Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III testifies before the Senate Armed Services Committee Jan. 28, 2015, in Washington, D.C., as Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. Joesph F. Dunford Jr., looks on. Other service leaders present during the hearing were Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. Raymond Odierno and Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jonathan W. Greenert. (U.S. Air Force photo/Scott M. Ash)Air Force Chief of Staff Testifies before the SAC-D
                        
                        
                        Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III testifies before the Senate Armed Services Committee Jan. 28, 2015, in Washington, D.C., as Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. Joesph F. Dunford Jr., looks on. Other service leaders present during the hearing were Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. Raymond Odierno and Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jonathan W. Greenert. (U.S. Air Force photo/Scott M. Ash)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res
        


        Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III testifies before the Senate Armed Services Committee Jan. 28, 2015, in Washington, D.C. Welsh testified with fellow service leaders: Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. Raymond Odierno, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jonathan W. Greenert and Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. Joesph F. Dunford Jr. (U.S. Air Force photo/Scott M. Ash)Air Force Chief of Staff Testifies before the SAC-D
                        
                        
                        Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III testifies before the Senate Armed Services Committee Jan. 28, 2015, in Washington, D.C. Welsh testified with fellow service leaders: Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. Raymond Odierno, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jonathan W. Greenert and Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. Joesph F. Dunford Jr. (U.S. Air Force photo/Scott M. Ash)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res

Air Force risks becoming too small to succeed under sequestrationPublished Jan. 28, 2015
                    
                    By Tech. Sgt. Natalie Stanley
                    
                    
                    Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs Command Information
            **WASHINGTON (AFNS) --**During testimony on Capitol Hill Jan. 28, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III stressed the negative impact sequestration will have on future Air Force capabilities, emphasizing further budget cuts will lead to low morale and declined readiness in the Air Force.
“Pilots sitting in a squadron looking out at their airplanes parked on a ramp certainly feels like a hollow force, whether we define it that way or not,” Welsh said. “People are not joining this business to sit around.”
The common tone of the testimony by all the service chiefs was maintaining the faith and trust each military member has in their respective service by ensuring they have the training, tools and equipment needed to win any fight, now or in the future.   
“We can’t continue to cut force structure to pay the cost of readiness and modernization or we risk being too small to succeed,” Welsh said. 
Welsh stated 24 years of combat operations has taken a toll on the Air Force and the need for modernization is no longer a debatable issue.    
“We currently have 12 fleets of aircraft that qualify for antique license plates in the state of Virginia,” he said. “Air Forces that fall behind technology fail and joint forces without the full breadth of the air, space and cyber capabilities that comprise modern airpower will lose.”
Welsh credited improved combat squadron readiness over the past year to the Balanced Budget Act, which targeted individual and unit readiness, but stated future sequestration would immediately reverse this trend.    
“Squadrons would be grounded, readiness rates would plummet, Red and Green Flag exercises would have to be cancelled, Weapons School classes would be limited, and our aircrew members’ frustration will rise, again,” Welsh said.              
He explained sequestration has led to intentional underfunding of infrastructures that produce combat capability over time including training ranges, test ranges, space launch facilities, simulation infrastructure, and nuclear infrastructure.  
Welsh appealed to the members of the Senate Armed Services Committee to join with the military to ensure current and future combat capability. 
“We do need your help to be ready for today’s fight and still able to win in 2025 and beyond,” he said. “Our Airmen deserve it, our joint team needs it, and I believe our nation still expects it.”Senate Armed Services Committee 



sequestration 



Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III 



CSAF

Related Links
        Senate Armed Services Committee Remarks Featured News
        Senior Leader Priorities
                SecAF, CSAF, CMSAF begin Indo-Pacific trip focused on ACE
                    
                    DAF leaders talk budget, reoptimizing the force
                    
                    DAF leaders speak at National Character and Leadership Symposium
                    
                    DAF members recognized during BEYA STEM awards
                    
                    DAF senior enlisted advisors discuss Airmen, Guardians in the fightInnovation
                F-16s arrive to be modified for autonomous testing
                    
                    AFWERX director discusses role of tech startups, quick innovation in Great Power Competition
                    
                    DAF delivers lethality at the speed of data during Project Convergence Capstone 4
                    
                    DAF welcomes industry partners to HQ development program
                    
                    DAF announces Spark Tank 2024 finalistsMAJCOM News
                Safety enterprise announces new mission, vision, goals in 2024 strategic plan
                    
                    Air Combat Command welcomes new commander
                    
                    USAFE-AFAFRICA commander discusses Integrated Air, Missile Defense during Munich Security Conference
                    
                    Flosi to AFMC family: Embrace change, make every day count
                    
                    AMC rises to increasing global tension
 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