Under Secretary of the Air Force Melissa Dalton reasserted July 29 during an appearance at the Brookings Institution the Air Force and Space Force's priorities, including the need to modernize and move "holistically" in reshaping the services to meet global challenges.
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.
"I have been struck by sense of urgency the Department of the Air Force is moving out on addressing the People's 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." Under Secretary of the Air Force Melissa Dalton
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.
"From 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 … although there's still considerable work to come," she said.
Dalton's hour-long "fireside chat" session at Brookings was arguably her most high-profile public appearance since May 29 when she formally became the department's second-ranking civilian leader.
The conversation touched on topics that included the department's on-going efforts announced in February to reorganize itself known internally as "Reoptimizing for Great Power Competition" and a related effort focusing on seven specific "Operational Imperatives." Both efforts are broad and ambitious and designed to make the Air Force and Space Force better able to confront China.
Dalton was also asked about policies related to "people," specifically readiness, recruiting and overall morale across the force.
"We have to get the people portion right in order to meet any of our operational objectives. That really is job No. 1," she said.
"There 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."
Other questions focused on the Indo-Pacific and how the services are adjusting to vast distances involved along with China's evolving capabilities in the region. Dalton noted that the Air Force continues refining - and expanding - its focus on agile combat employment, 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.
The longest, and most detailed, conversations, however, focused on budget and "resources" and modernizing the ground leg of the nuclear triad.
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.
Still, she said, pressure remains on funding necessary for modernization efforts.
"We 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. That helps us recoup those dollars to invest in modernization priorities," she said.
"We 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're ready to deter and prevail in today's security environment but have to increase our resourcing in order to maintain our competitive advantage," she said.
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.
Those delays, she said, "Cede the time to be able to keep pace with the PRC challenge that cannot be bought back."
On nuclear modernization, Dalton stressed the importance of the Sentinel program to replace and upgrade the 1970s-era Minuteman III land-based intercontinental ballistic missile.
"The 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't afford to do that any longer," she said.
"Our 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," she said, adding that while the Sentinel program is complex and costly, the nuclear triad enjoys "strong bipartisan consensus."
