The Air Force plans to “lead by example” in beginning its coming manpower cuts. Chief of Staff, Gen. Michael Moseley, said Thursday morning that reductions to the service’s general officer rolls will be among the first cuts USAF makes to its end strength. He estimates that the service will eliminate 30 to 32 general officer positions, consisting of a to-be-determined mixture of one-star and two-star billets. USAF plans to slash about 50,000, by the latest count,—a mix of active, reserve, and civilian personnel.
U.S. Air Force F-35s and F-22s regularly deploy deep into the Pacific region from Alaska, Utah, and Hawaii. In the future, though, the head of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command would like to see the Air Force permanently station fifth-generation aircraft west of the international date line—closer to China.