The Air Force has a tendency to accept new missions even when it is overtasked and lacking in manpower or resources to take on more missions. “We’ve … got to start saying no; enough’s enough,” said Air Force Gen. William Fraser, soon to be head of US Transportation Command, Wednesday at AFA’s Air & Space Conference. He added, “We cannot be afraid to say that; otherwise, we’ll break the force.” Fraser said the Air Force should be willing to “reclama taskings” if they are truly onerous and if there are “joint solutions” that would be easier on the overall military. Fraser also said that there are “business practices out there that we can learn from to make ourselves more efficient,” which would produce saving that could then be plowed back into Air Force capabilities.
The Air Force trimmed 120 airplanes from its fleet in fiscal 2021, gaining the most aircraft among its F-35 fighter squadrons and giving up the most from its B-1 bomber units, according to data provided by the Air Force. With puts and takes, the Air Force’s kinetic shooter fleet, not…