Hey everyone , I ' m Major Annabelle Monroe from the Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs . In just a bit , the Honorable Kristyn Jones , who is filling in as Under Secretary of the Air Force , and Major General Mike Greiner , Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Budget , will be giving an overview briefing on the Department of the Air Force ' s Fiscal Year 2025 President ' s Budget . If you didn ' t get a packet earlier , we have some here , so let us know if you need one . After the briefing , Honorable Jones and General Greiner will be taking your questions . We don ' t have anyone on the line , so no need for questions from there . But if you have a question , please try to keep it to just one and then one follow - up question . Without further ado , here ' s the Honorable Kristyn Jones . Our efforts are guided by three main Department of Defense priorities – defending the nation , taking care of people , and succeeding through teamwork . Defending the nation requires constant vigilance in all areas , and the DAF supports this by investing in Air and Space superiority , global strike , and readiness . Our budget request continues to prioritize modernization while also ensuring investments in readiness , with a focus on sustaining weapons systems and our flying hour program . We are also investing in nuclear modernization and enhancing our competitive capabilities in the air domain . For the Space Force , we are investing in a new missile warning architecture to enhance our capabilities and support decision - making . We are dedicated to attracting and retaining top Airmen and Guardians , making progress in breaking down barriers to service and increasing economic security for our members . Thanks to Congress ' support , we are on track to meet recruiting goals for the upcoming fiscal year . The Reserves and Air National Guard recruiting numbers are going up , with the Reserves expected to reach 98 percent of its goal and the Air National Guard surpassing FY23 by 12 percent . To attract the best talent from all backgrounds and areas , the DAF has opened our bases to local communities , showing them the value of public service . We ' re on track to meet our recruiting goals , partly because of the bonuses and incentives we offered last year . In FY25 , we ' re investing $1 . 6 billion to recruit and retain Airmen and Guardians , and providing $1 . 1 billion in bonuses and retention programs for critical positions . To support our personnel , we ' re investing $1 . 5 billion in mission facilities , family housing , dormitories , and childcare centers . We ' re also focused on taking care of our people , implementing the Independent Review Commission ' s recommendations , expanding victim care and support for victims of sexual assault . We ' re preparing Airmen and Guardians for Great Power Competition by building mental health skills and positive command climates , with $451 million allocated for Violence Prevention and Response initiatives . We ' re working closely with sister services , government organizations , industry partners , and allies to achieve integrated deterrence and joint warfighting . The Space Force is partnering with government agencies to enhance space capabilities , investing $6 . 2 billion in commercial space launches and $4 . 4 billion in satellite communications development . Hey , we ' re putting $3 . 4 billion into the Next Generation Air Dominance family of systems , with $600 million specifically for the Collaborative Combat Aircraft . This funding is for speeding up development and testing of platforms to make our joint forces more lethal and survivable without breaking the bank . Now , let ' s take a look at some numbers for the FY24 and FY25 budgets . The Air Force is asking for $217 . 5 billion in FY25 , which is a 1 . 1% increase from FY24 . The Air Force ' s budget is $188 . 1 billion , up 1 . 6% from FY24 , while the Space Force ' s budget is $29 . 4 billion , down 2% from FY24 . Major General Greiner will now give us more details on the department ' s budget requests . Thanks , General Greiner!We ' re looking at a budget of $7 billion for the B - 21 Raider program , which is the cornerstone of our conventional and nuclear capable deep strike force . We ' ve also got $623 million allocated for the long - range standoff weapon program . The Air Force is focusing on air superiority modernization with the Next Generation Air Dominance family of systems , with an additional $815 million for technology maturation and hardware prototyping . Next up , we ' ll dive into the Space Force ' s RDT&E request . Their budget for Fiscal Year ' 25 is $18 . 7 billion , with a focus on resilient architectures and integrated deterrence . They ' re also looking to modernize the SATCOM enterprise and improve missile warning and tracking capabilities . The Space Development Agency is launching LEO and MEO space vehicles , and investing in Space Domain Awareness systems and Proliferated Warfighter Space architecture . Overall , the Department is committed to investing in advanced capabilities to maintain our warfighting edge . In the Fiscal Year ' 25 , we ' re requesting $33 . 3 billion for procurement , which is a 5 . 9 percent increase from the Fiscal Year ' 24 request . For the Air Force , we want $5 . 9 billion to buy 42 F - 35s , which is six less than we planned for in the Fiscal Year ' 24 budget . We also want $1 . 8 billion for 18 F - 15EXs , which is six less than we planned for in the Fiscal Year ' 24 budget . Our focus is on getting the necessary ammunition and improving our global strike capabilities . We ' re also requesting $2 . 2 billion for 11 launches and $527 million for GPS III Follow On vehicles . Now let ' s move on to the operation and maintenance request . The Air Force ' s weapon systems maintenance needs are increasing due to older platforms and newer , more complex systems . In Fiscal Year ' 25 , the Air Force is adding $872 million to address 87% of our requirements . The Space Force ' s budget for operations and maintenance is increasing to $5 . 2 billion , with $1 . 4 billion allocated for weapon system maintenance . Additionally , there is funding for defensive cyber operations , operational testing and training infrastructure , and future Space Force initiatives . The Military Personnel request for the Air Force is $42 . 9 billion with a 1 . 9% increase over the previous year . The Space Force is increasing its end strength to 9 , 800 Guardians and providing bonuses for retention . The Military Construction and Military Family Housing appropriation for the Air Force is $4 . 5 billion , thanks to Congress passing the FY24 Military Construction Appropriations Bill . The budget for Fiscal Year ' 25 includes resources for 40 MILCON projects in 18 states and six overseas locations , as well as $1 . 4 billion for 24 weapons system beddown projects . This budget emphasizes taking care of our military and their families , investing in modern weapons systems and critical infrastructure , and enhancing global warfighting capabilities . Specific funding is allocated for projects in Europe , the Indo - Pacific region , unaccompanied housing , childcare centers , and housing improvements at various air bases . The budget request aligns with the National Defense Strategy and Secretary Austin ' s priorities , focusing on readiness , technology , and maintaining our competitive advantage . We urge lawmakers to pass the appropriations bills on time to avoid delays that could hinder our ability to compete effectively with our adversaries . MS . JONES: For the F - 15EXs , we ' re reducing the total program to 98 due to fiscal constraints . The F - 35 situation is different . We want the planes we want , but the TR - 3 Block 4 capabilities have been delayed . So , our plan is to minimize the impact by purchasing fewer of them in the first years of the FYDP . Then , as you ' ll see in our more detailed budget exhibits , we ' ll start to increase the number towards the end of the FYDP , hopefully having all the necessary capabilities in place . MS . JONES: So , we have a lot of details . Gen . Greiner can provide more specifics . But basically , during a CR , all the operational imperatives that the DAF has analyzed and determined the capabilities we need are put on hold . For example , 89 new starts have been delayed . National Security Space launches have gone down from 10 to three . These are things we ' ve mentioned before , like MILCON projects and ammunition ramp - ups being delayed . So , we ' ve had to make adjustments so far , and these impacts will carry over into FY25 . We assumed we would have the necessary funds at the start of the year to execute these programs throughout ' 24 , but now we ' re halfway through the year without them . Q: Hi , thank you both . Tara Copp from The Associated Press . Can you talk about the real - life effects of having a CR for five months this year and in previous years? How does it impact your crews ' flight and maintenance hours? And what happens if you end up with a yearlong CR? Q: Lee ( inaudible ) . Why did you decide not to fund ARRW production? And what do you hope to learn from testing in Fiscal Year 2024? Q: Hi , Stephen Losey from Defense News . The Air Force has been saying it needs 72 fighters per year to update its fleet and reduce the overall age . But it seems like you don ' t have that . How will this affect your modernization efforts? And are you worried about the retraining of 72 fighters in the future beyond ' 25? MS . JONES: Want to take that , Gen . Greiner? STAFF: Tara , you ' re up next . GEN . GREINER: Yeah , you ' re right . We don ' t have any extra funding in ' 25 . We have one remaining test and we ' ll see when that happens . All I can say is that we ' re still learning from it . We have funded HACM , about $517 million total for ' 25 . So , we ' re still moving forward with hypersonics being an important part of our portfolio . But as of now , there ' s no additional funding in FY25 for ARRW . STAFF: Thanks . Stephen Losey , it ' s your turn . STAFF: Hey Lee , go ahead and ask your question . Do you want to dive into some more details about the year - long CR? Yeah , it ' s been tough on the OEM side , trying to balance our funding levels and not burn through it too quickly . We ' re also having to slow down some FSRM projects and make adjustments to account for potential cuts in ' 24 . Planning for FY ' 25 with an extended CR is challenging , especially when it comes to things like munitions procurement . There ' s uncertainty around multiyear procurements and how that will affect our budget . Overall , we ' re facing challenges with sustaining weapons systems and flying hours due to funding constraints in the out years . So that ' s something we ' re looking at as we plan for ' 26 . How can we scale back our readiness without negatively impacting our modernization programs too much? We ' re trying to find the right balance over the years . STAFF: Thanks ( inaudible ) . Mikayla Q: Hi , ( inaudible ) . Thanks for your time . Back to hypersonics . Could you give more details about the $517 million for HACM this year? And why is the budget slightly lower than last year ' s prediction? GEN . GREINER: I ' ll have to double - check the numbers for HACM because we ' re actually seeing an increase of about $135 million . Let me get back to you on that . Q: And what is part of the $517 million fund this year? Just further development? GEN . GREINER: Yeah , it ' s all for development . Thanks . STAFF: Michael Q: Hi , Michael Morrow . Following up on the reduction in fighter purchases , does this affect planned divestments since we won ' t be able to replace as many aircraft? MS . JONES: For the most part , our divestments were already planned to shift funding to modernization programs . I ' ll have to check if there were any changes , but if there were , they were minor . We do have some divestments prohibited by Congress , and we ' re in compliance with those . Overall , we ' re doing what we need to keep our current force operational while investing in the next generation . STAFF: Thank you . Courtney Q: Yes . Space Force officials have emphasized the importance of integrating commercial technologies . How does the Fiscal ' 25 budget reflect this priority? Can you provide some examples? MS . JONES: We ' re focusing on collaboration with commercial launches and space domain awareness . We ' re also exploring the use of commercial analytics in missile warning and tracking . GEN . GREINER: Additionally , we ' re allocating around $1 . 2 billion for Commercial SATCOM . So , there ' s a significant investment in that area as well , totaling over $3 billion in a few key areas . Q: Just wondering , with the push for a dedicated program line for commercial space services , is that included in this year ' s budget request? GEN . GREINER: I ' m not sure about that , I ' ll have to look into it . Q: Alright , thanks . STAFF: Courtney Q: So , with the Air Force staying flat and seeking 80 , 000 fewer active - duty personnel , are there any programs or career fields that might be cut or prioritized as the service adjusts to meet its needs , especially in tech areas? GEN . GREINER: Yeah , it ' s worth noting that the reduction in the ' 25 budget request isn ' t necessarily a reduction in personnel .

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