New Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach on Tuesday pledged to focus on modernizing the service’s fleet, improving the readiness of both its aircraft and airmen and strengthening how well it works with other services and allies.
“Being able to deliver [airpower] when called upon demands a constant focus on readiness,” Wilsbach said during the assumption of responsibilities ceremony at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland. “Airmen or aircraft that are not ready to fight undermines our ability to win. Restoring reliability across all aspects of our force, from trained combat formations to better aircraft availability, is vital.”
The Senate confirmed Wilsbach to be the service’s 24th chief of staff Oct. 30. He was sworn in by Air Force Secretary Troy Meink on Nov. 3. Wilsbach succeeds Gen. David Allvin, who did not attend the ceremony.
Wilsbach pointed to the U.S. military strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities in June, known as Operation Midnight Hammer, as an example of the Air Force’s ability to deliver decisive airpower. But he stressed that maintaining readiness is critical for ensuring the service can provide those capabilities when needed.
“Our main purposes never change: We fly and fix to fight and win our nation’s wars,” Wilsbach said. “That mission binds us across all specialties, across all generations and across the globe. From maintainers on the flight line, to operators in the cockpit, to defenders, to logisticians, every airman plays a critical role in generating the airpower to protect our nation.”
Wilsbach’s emphasis on the need to improve aircraft readiness comes at a time of heightened concern about the Air Force’s ability to generate enough airpower. The service’s fleet is growing older, and at the same time shrinking as the number of aircraft drops below 5,000 for the first time. Mission-capable rates have steadily declined over recent years, with barely more than six in 10 aircraft in the fleet were able to carry out their missions on an average day in fiscal 2024.
Wilsbach also said that to maintain its edge over adversaries, the Air Force has to speed up its acquisition of new advanced capabilities such as the sixth-generation F-47 fighter, the B-21 Raider stealth bomber and the fleet of drone wingmen known as collaborative combat aircraft.
“We have to modernize, and our Air Force will constantly lead the way into the future, both modernizing and innovating to stay at the vanguard of combat aviation,” Wilsbach said.
In his address introducing Wilsbach, Meink highlighted the new chief’s advocacy for updating the service’s aircraft.
“Getting that modernization right will set us up for the future,” Meink said.
For the Air Force to maintain its air dominance, Wilsbach said, it must continue to work jointly with other U.S. military services as well as international partners.
“Maintaining that international security requires more than just one service, and more than one nation,” Wilsbach said. “Collectively, we are stronger.”
And to build a “strong warfighter culture,” Wilsbach said, airmen need steady, realistic and difficult training.
“Leaders at all echelons taking smart risks should be ingrained in our culture,” Wilsbach said. “A team that does hard things together is a team that will be successful in combat.”
Stephen Losey is the air warfare reporter for Defense News. He previously covered leadership and personnel issues at Air Force Times, and the Pentagon, special operations and air warfare at Military.com. He has traveled to the Middle East to cover U.S. Air Force operations.