The Air Force decided that it would not have to impose an enlisted cut for Fiscal 2007, since it believes normal attrition and a reduced recruiting goal will keep the enlisted force at its target level. During an interview, the service’s force shaping honcho, Col. Phil Odom, told the Daily Report that the service expected normal attrition to trim about 32,000 from its enlisted rolls in 2007. The service already is more than a third of the way toward that goal. USAF also has reduced its 2007 recruiting goal by about nine percent compared to 2006—dropping from around 30,000 to under 28,000.
The U.S. supports “a stronger and more capable” European defense, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III said during an Oct. 22 press conference in Brussels—but that defense should not duplicate the functions and capabilities of the NATO alliance.