Frank Kendall, secretary of the Air Force and a 2023 Wash100 awardee, has highlighted the importance of modernization across the service branch to stay ahead of China and other nations increasing in power and influence.
Speaking at the 2023 Air and Space Forces Association Warfare Symposium, Kendall emphasized the need to update military capabilities and prioritize transformation to maintain global competitiveness, the Air Force said Tuesday.
“The operational risks we have against our pacing challenge are increasing over time. Emphasizing the current force over the force of the future is a road to operational failure. The good news is that we are maintaining our current force at adequate levels of readiness,” Kendall commented.
During his speech, Kendall also shared that the Air Force’s budget proposal for fiscal year 2024 would focus on the seven operational imperatives he laid out in March 2022.
The forthcoming budget request will additionally prioritize “hardening our forward bases and with the support structure needed for Agile Combat Employment, without having to wait for a development program,” Kendall added.
