The U.S. Air Force must concentrate its limited maintenance resources on aircraft capable of operating in contested environments, according to Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink. Speaking at the Air & Space Forces Association’s Air Space Cyber conference in National Harbor, Maryland, on March 11, 2024, Meink emphasized the pressing issue of aircraft readiness within the service, noting a significant decline in operational capabilities.
During his keynote address, Meink acknowledged the Air Force’s impressive fleet, highlighting the F-22 and F-35 fighters, along with the B-2 bomber, as standout examples. However, he expressed surprise over the extent of the readiness challenges facing the service. “I knew there was a readiness challenge,” Meink stated, “I didn’t appreciate how significant that readiness challenge was.”
The readiness rates of aircraft in the U.S. Air Force have been declining for several years, reaching a low of 62% in the fiscal year 2024, which indicates that nearly four out of every ten aircraft were unable to perform their assigned missions on average. General David Allvin, the Air Force Chief of Staff, previously raised concerns about this trend at the Air Warfare Symposium in March 2024, revealing that aircraft availability plummeted from 73% in 1994 to 54% in 2024.
One of the main contributors to the declining readiness rates is the aging fleet, which has seen the average aircraft age nearly double over the past three decades, from 17 years to nearly 32 years. Meink pointed out the situation at Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Virginia, home to the F-22s, where many aircraft are grounded due to a lack of necessary parts. “The F-22 is a phenomenal platform,” he remarked, “but when I go out to Langley and there are a number of aircraft nonoperational, that’s a problem.”
During a roundtable discussion with reporters, Meink identified maintenance and sustainment as significant cost drivers for the Air Force over the last 15 years. He noted that lawmakers and Pentagon leadership are actively working to enhance the Air Force’s maintenance budget. Yet, with resources stretched thin, prioritization is essential. “If a system is not capable of operating in a contested environment, then we need to be second-guessing how much money we’re allocating to readiness for those platforms,” Meink stated.
As the Air Force phases out older aircraft, it will reallocate skilled maintainers and resources to newer platforms required for future conflicts. Meink cited Ukraine’s strategic use of modified quadcopters to target high-value Russian drones as indicative of the evolving landscape of air warfare that the U.S. must prepare for.
Moreover, Meink emphasized the importance of holding contractors accountable for the reliability of their components. “When we’re getting a part that’s supposed to last 400 hours, and it lasts 100 hours, that’s unacceptable,” he said. He called for collaborative efforts with contractors to enhance the serviceability and reliability of weapon systems and their parts.
In addition, William Bailey, performing the duties of assistant Air Force secretary for acquisition, technology, and logistics, indicated that the increasing modularity of new aircraft and forthcoming systems will facilitate easier maintenance and replacement. Bailey also mentioned plans to conduct a comprehensive review of the Air Force’s supply chains to identify bottlenecks affecting the delivery of essential spare parts.
Meink concluded by asserting the need for advanced data analytics to better assess the condition of weapon systems, reinforcing the Air Force’s commitment to maintaining operational readiness amid evolving challenges.
