{"id":240651,"date":"2024-07-30T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-07-30T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=240651"},"modified":"2024-07-30T19:57:38","modified_gmt":"2024-07-30T19:57:38","slug":"dalton-emphasizes-daf-priorities-need-to-modernize-on-time-budgets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=240651","title":{"rendered":"Dalton emphasizes DAF priorities, need to modernize, on-time budgets"},"content":{"rendered":"
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WASHINGTON (AFNS) — \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Under Secretary of the Air Force Melissa Dalton<\/strong><\/a> reasserted July 29 during an appearance at the Brookings Institution the Air Force and Space Force\u2019s priorities, including the need to modernize and move \u201cholistically\u201d in reshaping the services to meet global challenges.<\/p>\n

Dalton touched on those and other topics at some depth as well as the need for Congress to approve a budget on-time, in a wide-ranging discussion at the influential think tank<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have been struck by sense of urgency the Department of the Air Force is moving out on addressing the People\u2019s Republic of China pacing challenge which of course is called for in the National Defense Strategy. Airmen and Guardians alike understand, the PRC pacing challenge is a today problem, not a future problem.\u201d Under Secretary of the Air Force Melissa Dalton<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

That cohesion, she suggested, is one reason the Air Force and Space Force have been successful in reshaping their policies, practices and hardware to confront new, more potent challenges after decades focusing on the War on Terror.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom the organize, train and equip perspective, it really is remarkable how much progress has been made in the last couple of years to drive those changes through \u2026 although there\u2019s still considerable work to come,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Dalton\u2019s hour-long \u201cfireside chat\u201d session at Brookings<\/a><\/strong> was arguably her most high-profile public appearance since May 29 when she formally became<\/a><\/strong> the department\u2019s second-ranking civilian leader.<\/p>\n

The conversation touched on topics that included the department\u2019s on-going efforts announced in February to reorganize itself known internally as \u201cReoptimizing for Great Power Competition<\/strong><\/a>\u201d and a related effort focusing on seven specific \u201cOperational Imperatives<\/strong><\/a>.\u201d Both efforts are broad and ambitious and designed to make the Air Force and Space Force better able to confront China.<\/p>\n

Dalton was also asked about policies related to \u201cpeople,\u201d specifically readiness, recruiting and overall morale across the force.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have to get the people portion right in order to meet any of our operational objectives. That really is job No. 1,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is a sense we need to keep driving forward, to modernize capabilities for our Airmen and Guardians but that mindset shift (toward focusing on Great Power Competition) is already taking hold.\u201d<\/p>\n

Other questions focused on the Indo-Pacific<\/strong><\/a> and how the services are adjusting to vast distances involved along with China\u2019s evolving capabilities in the region. Dalton noted that the Air Force continues refining \u2013 and expanding \u2013 its focus on agile combat employment<\/strong><\/a>, or ACE, which is anchored in more nimble, self-sufficient units rather than large, stand-alone bases. She also highlighted the role space plays in the effort and how those strands are being braided together.<\/p>\n

The longest, and most detailed, conversations, however, focused on budget and \u201cresources\u201d and modernizing the ground leg of the nuclear triad<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

On budgets, Dalton noted the on-going GPC efforts are designed to go into place with minimal new funding since many are organizational adjustments and new approaches to training and developing Airmen and Guardians.<\/p>\n

Still, she said, pressure remains on funding necessary for modernization efforts.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are working with Congress to advocate for our priorities. And they have in certain areas allowed us to divest certain legacy platforms, such as the A-10<\/strong><\/a>. That helps us recoup those dollars to invest in modernization priorities,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are faced with a choice of having an obsolete force that is not going to be able to be competitive with PRC for the long haul. To be clear, we\u2019re ready to deter and prevail in today\u2019s security environment but have to increase our resourcing in order to maintain our competitive advantage,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Dalton also emphasized the importance of Congress delivering the funding on time. Failing to have budgets approved and in place by the Oct. 1 start of each fiscal year is critical. That deadline has rarely been met in recent years which means the department (as well as most of the federal government) operates under old budgets and priorities that can delay or block new hardware and policies needed to best defend the nation.<\/p>\n

Those delays, she said, \u201cCede the time to be able to keep pace with the PRC challenge that cannot be bought back.\u201d<\/p>\n

On nuclear modernization, Dalton stressed the importance of the Sentinel program to replace and upgrade the 1970s-era Minuteman III<\/strong><\/a> land-based intercontinental ballistic missile.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe reality is, because of our focus over the last 30 years on counter terrorism, counter insurgency in the Middle East and Afghanistan, we have unfortunately mortgaged our investment in nuclear modernization. We can\u2019t afford to do that any longer,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur nuclear triad, while capable and effective today, when you look out decades to come will it be in a position to be able to provide effective nuclear deterrent? The answer is no,\u201d she said, adding that while the Sentinel program is complex and costly, the nuclear triad enjoys \u201cstrong bipartisan consensus.\u201d<\/p>\n

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U.S. Air Force Logo<\/title><\/p><\/div>\n<\/section><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>WASHINGTON (AFNS) — \u00a0 Under Secretary of the Air Force Melissa Dalton reasserted July 29 during an appearance at the Brookings Institution the Air Force and Space Force\u2019s priorities, including the need to modernize and move \u201cholistically\u201d in reshaping the services to meet global challenges. Dalton touched on those and other topics at some depth […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":240653,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-240651","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/240651","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=240651"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/240651\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":240654,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/240651\/revisions\/240654"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/240653"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=240651"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=240651"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=240651"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}