In February 2017, then-Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Dave Goldfein warned that the Air Force was getting smaller while its missions were growing. The service had about 5,500 aircraft in its inventory at the time and expects its fleet to drop below 5,000 by fiscal 2025.
The Air Force expects to have 320,000 active duty jobs by fiscal 2025, down by about 13,000 from previous years. The roles of airmen are shifting to non-flying missions like cyber defense.
Some lawmakers and experts are concerned about the shrinking fleet, as it may limit the Air Force’s ability to project power and fulfill national security expectations. The service plans to retire older aircraft to make room for more modern ones, focusing on advanced capabilities like precision-guided airstrikes and electronic warfare operations.
The Air Force aims to prioritize research and development of future advanced aircraft, such as the Next Generation Air Dominance program, over maintaining legacy force structure. Congressional reluctance has been a barrier to the service’s planned retirements and modernization efforts.
