Schwartz outlines Air Force adjustments, changes
The world has changed and the United States Air Force must change too, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz said at the National Press Club.
From “Schwartz Discusses Change in the U.S. Air Force” by Jim Garamone of the American Forces Press Service:
“The world has changed and the United States Air Force must change too, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz said at the National Press Club.
“Schwartz made the point that political leaders have been dealing with the effects of globalization since the 1970s, but that the circumstances and conditions that globalization engenders continually change.
“What the United States faces today, he said, is different than anything the nation has confronted in the past.
“The economic environment also influences the choices leaders must make and the paths the nation — and the Air Force — must follow. Trillion-dollar deficits will limit what the service can buy.
“The Air Force must balance today’s needs with tomorrow’s challenges, he said, adding that his service must be more agile and faster than in the past. That is nothing new to the Air Force, he added, as it is the nature of operations in air and space to be quick.
“Schwartz said the Air Force also must be more efficient. ‘An important strategy is to reduce overhead operating costs, to create more savings and shift them directly to force structure and modernization, and to warfighting needs,’ he said.
“Being more efficient also requires a new way of working with others, Schwartz said. Schwartz said he and Adm. Gary Roughhead, the chief of naval operations, are fully committed to a new partnership called ‘Air-Sea Battle.’ The partnership, Schwartz said, will enable the Navy and the Air Force to project power in new ways.
I played highlights of General Schwartz’s speech and the question-and-answer session in the first hour of the show today. You can watch the entire speech by clicking “play” below:
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