USAF AIR POWER

摘要

Although remaining heavily committed, the USAF is beginning to feel the pinch of smaller budgets and threats of reduced funding for defence projects. AT THE START of Fiscal Year 2013, which began on 1 October 2012, the US Air Force had approximately 510,900 personnel on strength. The total comprised approximately 332,800 regular Air Force, 71,400 assigned to the Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC), 106,700 in the Air National Guard (ANG) and 185,500 civilians. Released in January 2012, the US Department of Defense's Fiscal 2013 $525-billion budget request included both its spending priorities and future plans that called for an increase in the commitment to the Asia-Pacific area of operations while rnaintaining the current focus in the Middle East region. However, under the Future Year Defense Plan (FYDP) that runs from 2013-17, the DoD plans to make spending cuts that total $259 billion, and $487 billion over 10 years until the end of 2023.