US Air Force Secretary Says Worried About Forces Not Modernizing 'in Time'

WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th March, 2023) US Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said on Thursday that he worries most about US forces not taking modernization steps in time to address challenges posed by adversaries.

"What I worry about most is time... I'm concerned about us being too late to make the changes that we need to make," Kendall said during an interview with The Hill. "We're in a race for military-technological superiority, and we have got to move quickly in that race."

The modernization race is different from an arms race, Kendall said. Modernization is focused on applying technology quickly to improve operational efficiency, Kendall said.

Funding from Congress is key to modernization efforts, Kendall added.

The Department of the Air Force's requested budget for fiscal year 2024 is $215.1 billion, a 4.5% increase over the previous fiscal year's enacted figure. The department's budget request includes $55.4 billion for research, development, test and evaluation programs.