Thursday, June 26, 2025
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, convened today’s hearing “A Review of the President’s Fiscal Year 2026 Budget Request for the Air Force and Space Force”. Prepared text of his opening statement follows:
“I’ll begin by welcoming Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink, Chief of Staff of the Air Force, General David Allvin, and Chief of Space Operations, General Chance Saltzman. Thanks to each of you for your decades of service to our nation, and our thanks as well to the airmen and guardians you lead.
“This weekend’s successful operations over Iran served as a reminder of the immense skill and professionalism of America’s men and women in uniform: Pilots operating coolly in enemy airspace…Dozens of aircraft and thousands of personnel helping to get them safely over their targets…Massively powerful ordnance delivered with the utmost precision…And all flights returning home safely.
“The way I see it, there are two key takeaways, here: The first one is the value of allies and partners. Israel’s magnificent military and intelligence operations created the strategic opportunity. In degrading Iran’s air defenses, the Israelis demonstrated how highly competent allies act as force multipliers in the face of common threats. We ought to keep this in mind when we look at Europe and the Indo-Pacific, too. Allies and partners are going to be essential to any big fight, and we should not underestimate their value.
“Of course, at the end of the day, nobody in the world but the U.S. Air Force can do what you did this weekend. America’s ability to project power globally is unparalleled. And that brings me to the second takeaway: military primacy doesn’t happen overnight. The most sophisticated military in world history is the product of trillions of dollars over decades.
“Sustaining this military force isn’t cheap. Modernizing it to preserve our military edge is even more expensive. But if we value the lives of our servicemembers…The unprecedented peace we have experienced since World War II…And the fruits of the American-led international order…Then it’s worth every penny and then some.
“America’s most determined adversaries have studied the capabilities and tactics of our military closely, and have developed advanced radars, sensors, and long-range air defenses to counter precisely the strength we showed last weekend.
“The PRC has been playing a long game to challenge American primacy. By contrast, in crucial ways, we’ve been taking our edge for granted. Chronic underfunding of the national defense has become a habit of consecutive administrations. Unfortunately, the budget we’re here to discuss today is no exception. In fact, the President’s request for FY26 falls well short of meeting the requirements imposed by today’s threat landscape. We simply will not keep pace with the pacing threat of China if we’re not willing to keep pace with inflation.
“The Air Force needs to modernize its bomber and fighter fleets. It needs new tankers and command and control aircraft. It also needs longer-range and more sophisticated munitions. And it needs a lot of them.
“The Space Force needs advanced satellite technologies, resilient communications systems, and enhanced surveillance capabilities, to deter aggression, ensure freedom of maneuver, and maintain uninterrupted space-based support to joint and allied forces back on planet earth. And you can’t do any of it with anemic base budgets. You just can’t.
“Preserving our military edge and the peace will require sustained and significant increases in defense spending. Not just a one-time infusion. But it’s not just the size of the FY26 request many of us are concerned about. It’s also the structure. The Administration has asked Congress to split the funds for massive procurement efforts like B-21 and Sentinel between the base budget and a one-time reconciliation bill.
“I struggle to understand how putting programs with broad bipartisan support in a simple-majority reconciliation bill won’t function like a shell game for avoiding making the sort of annual, base-budget investments we begged the last Administration to make.
“The need for stable production of aircraft seems to argue for year-on-year funding baked into a base budget. The constrained topline, of course, is forcing services to make artificially tough choices. In your case, let me just say this: We all want to go to space. But let’s be honest about the risks and trade-offs this request is forcing you to make. If the choice you’re facing is between an available, advanced airborne system with onboard battle management and a nascent space capability, you’re going to have to resist the urge to turn proven capabilities like the E-7 into billpayers.
“There’s value in redundancy. We should be making investments in both airborne and space-based command and control. They say that in space, no one can hear you scream. But squandering our advantage in this critical domain because we can’t find the political will to maintain it? That would mean plenty of screaming here on Earth, with devastating consequences for U.S. military operations on land, air, and sea.
“I hope we’ll also hear from you about how the Air Force is addressing munitions shortfalls – not just in the massive ordnance penetrators deployed this weekend to great effect, but across the entire spectrum of both offensive and defensive capabilities on which Air Force operations are built. I’ve been hoping to hear from each service how production challenges are being addressed, and the Air Force will be no exception.
“Speaking of the MOP, I need to address the manufactured controversy over the extent to which the strikes damaged Iran’s nuclear program. We haven’t been briefed on the intelligence, but the political hand-wringing misses an important point: We’ve demonstrated our military superiority. If we want, we can own the skies over Iran. If the Iranians don’t abandon their nuclear program, we can keep bombing them. And Iran’s remaining leaders should take the off-ramp the President has offered them.
“Finally, I’ll ask you to explain for us the lessons you’re taking from conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East. How is the rapid evolution of unmanned systems informing the decisions you make about drone operations, force protection, and interception? And what information are you getting today that you’d lose if America neglected its relationships with force-multiplying allies and partners?
“I’ll look forward to your testimony on each of these fronts.”
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