An “end-to-end review is underway” to find the right balance in requirements, cost of depot maintenance, and supply chain, Air Force Secretary Michael Donley said Monday. “Effectiveness and efficiency must go hand in hand,” in program longevity, he said. Both requirements and costs have been rising in weapon system sustainment and materiel readiness, and “we must tend” to that reality by figuring out less costly means of sustainment, he said.
The Air Force overall reduced its size by 120 aircraft in fiscal year 2021, but kept about the same number of fighter, bomber and attack aircraft, according to data supplied by the service. The F-35 fleet saw the biggest increase while the B-1B bomber fleet saw the largest decline.