Eight general officers from across the services met at Kirtland AFB, N.M., to review the status of the Air Force’s $3.4 billion strategic system modernization efforts. They include Minuteman III modernization, nuclear warhead modernizations, and cruise missile acquisitions. Lt. Gen. Mark Shackelford, military deputy to USAF’s acquisition executive, led this strategic systems portfolio review, the first of its kind in more than 20 years. “Although it has been a long time since we paid a lot of attention to nuclear acquisition in the Air Force, it is clear to me that the men and women acquiring our nuclear systems are extremely focused on meeting the number of challenges we face in modernizing our nuclear capabilities,” Shackelford said. The review took place during the first week of March. (Kirtland report by Lt. Col. Rodney L. Miller)
USAF to Cut F-35 Buy in Future Years Defense Plan
May 14, 2021
The Air Force wants to scale back buys of the F-35 over the next five years, hoping to get sustainment costs down and to wait for the more capable Block 4 version, according to talking points prepared for Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. The reduced buy will…