President Donald Trump’s first Air Force secretary has some advice for the defense-sector stalwart likely to lead the service next.
When Heather Wilson took the reins in 2017, she faced a service pummeled by the budget ax known as “sequestration,” expensive and poorly managed modernization programs, and two decades of offensive operations in the Middle East that were preventing the United States from looking toward future possible adversaries.
What she got were double-digit budget increases to spur a rapid injection of funding and right the Air Force’s trajectory. The trajectory continued under Trump’s second Air Force Secretary, Barbara Barrett, but now faces an uncertain future as President Joe Biden proposes a flat defense budget of $715 billion.
Wilson spoke to the Washington Examiner about the three principal challenges Biden’s nominee for Air Force secretary, former Pentagon acquisition chief Frank Kendall, will face if confirmed to be the service’s next top civilian leader.
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Restore readiness
Thirty years of continuous combat operations from the Gulf War in 1991 to America’s post-9/11 conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq have taken a toll on the readiness of the Air Force “to take on any fight at any time.”
Wilson argues that just because Biden declared an end to the war in Afghanistan and troop levels in Iraq and Syria hover around 2,500, it does not mean the Air Force’s role in fighting global terrorism is over. In fact, it will likely increase.
“The country thought we were there, and the Air Force made decisions as if we were there in 2012, 2013,” she said. “Then ISIS declared its caliphate, and the Air Force surged to the fight.”
Wilson explained that defeating ISIS was largely an air war whereby American air power was called in to support indigenous forces operating in the area.
“The demand for air power has not abated worldwide,” she said.
Wilson said the Air Force retains a vital role in targeting the persistent threat of violent extremist groups in ungoverned spaces. In Africa, for example, the U.S. uses air power to conduct surveillance and execute strikes against ISIS, al Qaeda, and al Shabab and their affiliates operating over vast spaces.
When Biden announced the end of the war in Afghanistan, he said terrorists had become more “dispersed” around the world, noting Asia and Africa, in particular.
“It’s been air power that’s been called upon to deal with it more than any other element of our national power,” Wilson said.
Refurbish nuclear arsenal
Two of the three legs of the nuclear triad are manned by the Air Force. B-52 bombers carry airborne nuclear weapons, and intercontinental ballistic missiles that came online in 1970 are deep underground in silos across six Western states, manned by airmen. Those 50-year-old Minuteman III missiles have reached the limit of their life extensions while Russia and China field modernized weapon systems.
“The Minuteman III replacement has been delayed probably as long as it can cost-effectively,” said Wilson. Studies indicate that another life extension of the aging system would actually cost more than its replacement. Critics call for a delay and additional independent studies or reconsidering America’s nuclear deterrence strategy.
The Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent replacement would bring 21st-century digital technology and an additional 30 to 40 years once completed in 2036 to the tune of $13 billion.
Wilson argues that as long as the U.S. nuclear deterrence strategy remains in place, the three legs must be fully operational. U.S. Strategic Command’s Adm. Charles Richard frequently says that if his forces are not complete and modernized, he will have fewer options to give the commander in chief in the event of a crisis.
Still, lawmakers looking for places to make deep cuts to the defense budget have called for reducing the number of active ICBMs from 150 or attempting another makeover.
“The issue of how many you need is really an issue of strategy,” said Wilson. “There have been numerous reviews of this by both Democratic and Republican administrations that suggest that, in particular, the continuation of the triad is important for nuclear deterrence.”
Maintain ‘air dominance’
The last American service member to die from enemy aircraft was on April 15, 1953, during the Korean War.
“We have had air dominance,” said Wilson. “What that means is that if a soldier or Marine on the ground or an allied force hears jet noise, they know it’s us.”
Wilson explained that maintaining air dominance cost-effectively will be one of Kendall’s greatest challenges, should he be confirmed. She believes his deep acquisition experience will benefit him in the endeavor.
“When we think about next-generation air dominance, you’ve probably got to spend some time and focus there,” she said, considering such programs as the F-35 fighter jet, which costs $36,000 per hour to operate.
“Frank has deep experience in acquisition and as a service secretary, a lot of what you have to do deals with the budget and acquisition,” she said. “He brings that experience to the Pentagon.”
The Air Force fleet consists only of 20% fifth-generation aircraft, while in the past three decades, the fighter and bomber force has shrunk by more than half.
Wilson also said Kendall must consider how to retain the Air Force’s highly qualified talent and be sure that he makes himself accessible to Congress.
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The former Air Force secretary expects Kendall will have to make a tough sell to a suspect public that will not want to pay more for defense as wars wind down. Nonetheless, the Air Force is no less in demand for America’s global, national security interests, she explained.
“Probably the biggest challenge that the Pentagon as a whole and the Air Force are going to face is that the Air Force is still too small for all the things that the nation is asking it to do,” she said. “It looks as though we’re going into an era of declining budgets, but no fewer demands.”
