Air Force Secretary Michael Donley thinks there will be some serious rethinking of service expenditures in the coming years, especially if the Budget Control Act’s sequester mechanism takes effect. However, he said he doubts that any solution would involve the services taking a blanket meat cleaver-style uniform cut without consideration of strategy and goals. Speaking at AFA’s Global Warfare Symposium last week in Los Angeles, Donley said USAF missions, such as space, airlift, and global intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance, have proven that they have a lasting place, not just in Southwest Asia, but wherever the nation’s national security strategy is headed. “As we reconsider where the strategy is going, I think there is much more appreciation for the value of those capabilities that enable global operations,” he said Nov. 18.
On Oct. 27, the Air Force Association's Mitchell Institute will host an installment of its “Aerospace Nation” series featuring Pacific Air Forces Commander Gen. Kenneth S. Wilsbach. The think tank will post event video on its website and YouTube page after the live event.