The Air Force has been consistently underfunded because of the inclusion of “pass-through” funding in its budget. The pass-through funding for intelligence (“black”) programs masks Air Force budget shortfalls required for vital capabilities and modernization. Congress must make the budget change because the Army, Navy, and Marines benefit from a skewed budget.

One victim of underfunding the Air Force is Global Hawk surveillance drones. The proposed 2021 defense budget plans to retire and divest 24 of 34 Global Hawks assigned to the Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota. This hits both close to home and the nation.