Heather Wilson, secretary of the U.S. Air Force, has said the military branch’s fiscal year 2019 budget request will support efforts to boost space systems security and shift to multi-domain operations.
Wilson, a 2018 Wash100 inductee, told the House appropriations committee that the proposed $156.3 billion budget will help deter threat actors that seek to inhibit the Air Force’s space operations, the service branch said Wednesday.
The FY 2019 budget will also fund changes in the Air Force’s battlefield command, control and communications processes, Wilson added.
She noted that the Air Force will continue to prioritize force readiness.
The budget request includes funds to expand pilot training; address experience shortfalls; provide incentive pay and bonuses; optimize administrative support at the squadron level; and support flying hours to executable levels.
The proposed funding will also fill gaps in space, nuclear, cyber and intelligence career fields, as well as aid the Air Force’s air-to-ground integration force.