The last Air Force vice chief, Gen. Jim Slife, was fired by President Trump in February without explanation as part of a broader purge of military leaders.
The defense budget is the place to stop the decline in the Air Force's size and capabilities and begin its rebuilding, the authors of this op-ed argue.
Experts say it's unlikely the Air Force could save $15 billion only targeting the kind of diversity and climate change programs Sec. Hegseth has derided.
If confirmed, Troy Meink would inherit key decisions about the Air Force's fighter force and how to right-size the Space Force as it takes on new missions.
Deploying large groups of a base's airmen together could help unit cohesion, the Air Force hopes — but critical missions like cybersecurity could suffer.