{"id":14834,"date":"2018-09-10T20:24:29","date_gmt":"2018-09-10T20:24:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2018\/09\/10\/wilson-to-lay-out-air-force-we-need-at-afa\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T20:16:17","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T20:16:17","slug":"wilson-to-lay-out-air-force-we-need-at-afa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/digital-show-dailies\/air-force-association\/2018\/09\/10\/wilson-to-lay-out-air-force-we-need-at-afa\/","title":{"rendered":"Secretary Wilson to lay out \u2018Air Force We Need\u2019 at AFA"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Air Force has a problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The military is trying to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.airforcetimes.com\/digital-show-dailies\/air-warfare-symposium\/2017\/03\/03\/goldfein-air-force-must-hone-its-skills-to-face-growing-global-threats\/\" target=\"_blank\">shift its focus<\/a> from wars against so-called \u201cviolent extremists\u201d in places like Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria so it can <a href=\"https:\/\/www.airforcetimes.com\/flashpoints\/2018\/01\/24\/top-enlisted-leader-the-military-must-grow-to-meet-rising-threats\/\" target=\"_blank\">prepare for a potential war<\/a> against a major peer or near-peer nation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But the Air Force is currently too small even for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.airforcetimes.com\/news\/your-air-force\/2018\/08\/30\/rand-study-lengthy-operations-grinding-down-air-force\/\" target=\"_blank\">the missions it\u2019s being asked to do today<\/a> in the Middle East, let alone a war against China, Russia or North Korea, said Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson in an Aug. 28 interview at the Pentagon. The service is going to have to grow, she said. But the big question is where \u2014 and by how much?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Wilson will attempt to answer that question Sept. 17, when she delivers her keynote address, \u201cThe Air Force We Need,\u201d at the Air Force Association\u2019s Air Space and Cyber Conference. The secretary will lay out <a href=\"https:\/\/www.airforcetimes.com\/news\/your-air-force\/2018\/07\/31\/air-force-revamps-squadrons-as-it-prepares-for-the-next-big-fight\/\" target=_blank>how many operational squadrons<\/a> \u2014 such as fighter, bomber, mobility and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance \u2014 are needed, as well as the matching end strength, for the Air Force to project power and carry out its expected missions in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2017\/09\/18\/air-force-secretary-we-are-a-service-that-is-too-small\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/20170831_Sec-AF_Heather-Wilson08.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Air Force secretary: \u2018We are a service that is too small\u2019<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">As the Air Force marks its 70th birthday, it\u2019s facing a series of challenges unlike any other in its history.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe chief and I were asked in this last testimony on the Hill for the Defense Authorization Act, \u2018Well, what do you need to implement the new National Defense Strategy?\u201d Wilson said. \u201cWe should know the answer to that question. That\u2019s the work that\u2019s been going on the last six months or so.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Air Force now has 312 operational squadrons, not including squadrons doing support activities such as finance, Wilson said. Squadrons are the basic unit of the Air Force, she said, which is why this new plan will focus on the squadron level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Air Force intentionally didn\u2019t consider budgets as it drew up this plan over the past six months, Wilson said. Instead, it focused on what would be required to fight a major war. With that information in hand, she said, the Air Force can better articulate where it\u2019s headed \u2014 and what the potential risks might be of not funding or underfunding certain elements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1201\" height=\"629\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Wilson_AFA2.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-28451\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Wilson_AFA2.jpg.jpg 1201w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Wilson_AFA2.jpg.jpg?resize=300,157 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Wilson_AFA2.jpg.jpg?resize=768,402 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Wilson_AFA2.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,536 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1201px) 100vw, 1201px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Staff Sgt. Benjamin Reynolds, 891st Missile Security Forces Squadron response force leader, crouches in rotor wash during a field training exercise at Turtle Mountain State Forest, N.D., Feb. 14, 2018. During the exercise 91st Security Forces Group defenders coordinated simulated medical evacuations with two 54th Helicopter Squadron UH-1N Iroquois. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman J.T. Armstrong)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Wilson said her staff is still finalizing the report, including what the end strength projections might be under the plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In his speech at AFA, Gen. Dave Goldfein, the chief of staff, will also address how the Air Force will fight with the proposed new force structure, Wilson said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>\u2018Still too high\u2019<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While the Air Force is too small, Wilson said its operational tempo remains \u201cstill too high.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In her speech to AFA a year ago, Wilson said this tempo unacceptably strains airmen, who push through the overwork and keep telling her, \u201cWe got this.\u201d But to the contrary, she said in 2017, \u201cWe don\u2019t got this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s not fair to keep asking airmen to continue working \u201cto the point of failure,\u201d she said then. They need time to rest and train at home before being tapped to go overseas again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Air Force has taken a few steps over the past year to reduce the deployment burden on airmen, such as by bringing home 125 billets at the Combined Air Operations Center at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, and reducing the number of 365-day deployments. But the problems largely remain, and Wilson said they have to be addressed if the Air Force is going to shift its focus to the high-end fight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s not just the ops tempo, it\u2019s being able \u2014 when we produce troops to a combatant commander \u2014 to say, \u2018Yes, we can present these forces and do this particular mission. Here is the price, in terms of operational readiness, for another mission they would be preparing for,\u2019\u2005\u201d Wilson said. \u201cI don\u2019t think we\u2019ve been very good at that, being able to explain what the consequences are of taking half of this squadron and forward deploying them again.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As part of that shift, the National Defense Strategy calls for handling the battle against violent extremists with a lower level of effort, she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThat\u2019s the only way that we\u2019re going to restore enough time to prepare for a high-end fight, by reducing our commitment to the fight against violent extremism,\u201d Wilson said, \u201cwhich has put tremendous pressure on the Air Force.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"784\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/4084668.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-28452\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/4084668.jpg.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/4084668.jpg.jpg?resize=300,196 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/4084668.jpg.jpg?resize=768,502 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/4084668.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,669 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson speaks to the audience at the National Academy of Sciences, Washington, D.C., on Jan. 18, 2018.  (Wayne A. Clark\/Air Force)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Air Force is now in the midst of a study to see whether a lower-cost light attack aircraft could handle some of the missions against groups like ISIS that are now handled by more advanced fighter jets. The Air Force could release a final request for proposal on light attack in December, if it decides to move forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As the Air Force enters fiscal 2019, Wilson said her biggest challenges will be continuing to restore end strength after cutbacks under sequestration and improving readiness \u2014 particularly by focusing on training.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Air Force now has about 325,100 active-duty airmen, and is slated to add another 4,000 in 2019. That\u2019s up from about 311,000 at the end of fiscal 2015, after the drawdown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe first long pole in the tent for us for readiness was getting enough people,\u201d Wilson said.<\/p>\n\n\n<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link smg-interstitial-link--fallback wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.airforcetimes.com\/newsletters\/tv-next-episode\/2018\/01\/29\/unveiling-the-national-defense-strategy\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__fallback-link\">Unveiling the National Defense Strategy<\/a><\/aside>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The manpower problem particularly showed up in maintenance, she said, which was once short 4,000 maintainers. The Air Force is on its way to wiping out the maintenance shortfall, she said. But the new maintainers are, in many cases, young and need to be trained to be able to do more complex and unsupervised work on aircraft, she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Air Force also needs to focus on training for a higher-end fight, so pilots can penetrate contested airspace, she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Air Force will also continue to prioritize modernizing its fleet of aircraft in 2019 by continuing to work on developing and producing planes such as the F-35, B-21 and KC-46.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>To meet the demands of the National Defense Strategy, the service is going to have to grow, both in terms of squadrons and airmen. The big question is where \u2014 and by how much?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":28446,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":75,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[75,29],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3412],"class_list":["post-14834","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-air-force-association","category-digital-show-dailies"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"4PKTYFQCANFIJEO5W3REQUIKZI","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/your-air-force\/2018\/09\/10\/wilson-to-lay-out-air-force-we-need-at-afa\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Secretary Wilson to lay out \u2018Air Force We Need\u2019 at AFA - Defense News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"To meet the demands of the National Defense Strategy, the service is going to have to grow, both in terms of squadrons and airmen. The big question is where \u2014 and by how much?\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Secretary Wilson to lay out \u2018Air Force We Need\u2019 at AFA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"To meet the demands of the National Defense Strategy, the service is going to have to grow, both in terms of squadrons and airmen. The big question is where \u2014 and by how much?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/digital-show-dailies\/air-force-association\/2018\/09\/10\/wilson-to-lay-out-air-force-we-need-at-afa\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Defense News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-09-10T20:24:29+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-07T20:16:17+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Stephen Losey\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Stephen Losey\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/digital-show-dailies\\\/air-force-association\\\/2018\\\/09\\\/10\\\/wilson-to-lay-out-air-force-we-need-at-afa\\\/#article\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/digital-show-dailies\\\/air-force-association\\\/2018\\\/09\\\/10\\\/wilson-to-lay-out-air-force-we-need-at-afa\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"author\": {\n\t                \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"headline\": \"Secretary Wilson to lay out \u2018Air Force We Need\u2019 at AFA\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2018-09-10T20:24:29+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-07T20:16:17+00:00\",\n\t            \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/digital-show-dailies\\\/air-force-association\\\/2018\\\/09\\\/10\\\/wilson-to-lay-out-air-force-we-need-at-afa\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"wordCount\": 1042,\n\t            \"commentCount\": 0,\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/digital-show-dailies\\\/air-force-association\\\/2018\\\/09\\\/10\\\/wilson-to-lay-out-air-force-we-need-at-afa\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/Wilson_AFA.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"articleSection\": [\n\t                \"Air Force Association\",\n\t                \"Digital Show Dailies\"\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"CommentAction\",\n\t                    \"name\": \"Comment\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/digital-show-dailies\\\/air-force-association\\\/2018\\\/09\\\/10\\\/wilson-to-lay-out-air-force-we-need-at-afa\\\/#respond\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/digital-show-dailies\\\/air-force-association\\\/2018\\\/09\\\/10\\\/wilson-to-lay-out-air-force-we-need-at-afa\\\/\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/digital-show-dailies\\\/air-force-association\\\/2018\\\/09\\\/10\\\/wilson-to-lay-out-air-force-we-need-at-afa\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Secretary Wilson to lay out \u2018Air Force We Need\u2019 at AFA - 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