The secret, or “black” portion of the Air Force’s budget, although constrained, is producing useful capabilities, Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz said in a recent interview. Offering a peek behind the curtain, Schwartz said that there are things in the surveillance areas, command and control, and intelligence “that I think are pretty exciting.” Based on his experience with classified programs, Schwartz said, “The classified areas of our budget are producing more product now than I have seen in the past.” He added, “We are delivering things that I think certainly will be meaningful to the joint team for quite a long time.” Speaking of black projects, the Air Force in December officially lifted the veil on the RQ-170 Sentinel, a stealth unmanned reconnaissance aircraft that has been operating from Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan.
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.