Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin spoke forcefully about the Air Force's readiness and the skill of its Airmen during a high-profile, closely watched speech, Sept. 22.
In his message at the Air, Space & Cyber Conference, Allvin emphasized that the Air Force is able to achieve decisive victories because it has the best and most-capable people who are prepared to respond to any challenge at any time. Allvin stated in recent months, the Air Force has delivered on its promise to provide a range of options.
"Emblematic of the Air Force's readiness to act decisively and effectively is the success of Operation Midnight Hammer, the largest operational, kinetic employment of B-2's in the platform's history," Allvin said.
"This summer, President Trump asked the Air Force to do something that was complex, dangerous and consequential. We followed through and did it," Allvin reminded the crowd, referring to the strikes the Air Force conducted on Iranian nuclear facilities.
"More than 100 U.S. aircraft participated in the mission, including the B-2, fourth- and fifth-generation fighters, air refueling tankers, and a full-array of intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance assets-and in just 30 hours, Trump announced a cease-fire to end the 12-Day War," Allvin said.
"Since Operation Midnight Hammer, the Air Force has continued to showcase the skill and professionalism of its Airmen and its ability to complete missions effectively," Allvin said.
"Within two weeks of Operation Midnight Hammer, your United States Air Force had redeployed, reset, and pivoted, to execute the largest US Air Force led exercise in the Indo-Pacific since the Cold War," said Allvin. "It was amazing."
During the Department-Level Exercise, instead of simulating logistical requirements over an extended period or long distance, the Department provided realistic challenges for Airmen to overcome and an opportunity to enhance their skills before a conflict, said Allvin.
"This is about putting together a force presentation, a force generation to fit what the Joint Force commander and the combatant commanders are going to need," Allvin said.
During the DLE, the Air Force showcased its "'secret weapon', our individual Airmen who are smart, who are innovative, who are working hard to face our challenges and fix them as an enterprise."
"This exercise also had some incredible firsts, including our longest JASSM shot" said Allvin. JASSM, short for Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile, is a low-detection air-launched cruise missile.
Airmen's skill and innovations are raising the bar every day, Allvin said. Airmen recently innovated to enable the deployment of the Fixed Wing, Air Launched, Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems Ordnance (FALCO), a low-cost, air-to-air counter-Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) weapon.
"Within a month, FALCO was integrated onto the F-15, and now for less than 10% of the cost of an AIM-9X you can put a precision kill on the proliferation of attack unmanned aerial vehicles," Allvin said.
As an institution, the service has great Airmen coming to support the mission, like Airman First Class Garrett Vance, a base air defense systems operator assigned to the 332nd Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron. Vance recently became the first US Air Force defender to kinetically eliminate a drone with the Coyote missile system.
Allvin also shared information about the development of several key Air Force platforms. Allvin told the audience that the first F-47 is currently being manufactured, and is expected to fly in 2028.
Echoing Secretary of Air Force Troy Meink's earlier remarks, Allvin noted that the B-21 program is "going exceptionally well."
But at the end of the day, Allvin said, the nation should "be cautious about the warm blanket of the comfortable." Despite the Air Force's successes during Operation Midnight Hammer and the Department-Level Exercise, "the adversary won't take a knee."
"When the President asks tonight, next week, next year, next decade, can you still do that? We have to be able to say, hell yes, we can. We've got to follow through on that. That's what's at stake," said Allvin.
"What the nation needs is one Air Force, integrated, aligned, focused, ready to fight. The nation needs more Air Force, more capability, more capacity, more options for the President. The nation needs your Air Force, moving at the pace to win," said Allvin.
