Typical of past years, DoD budget documents show the Air Force with a much larger budget than it is allowed to spend -- $263 billion, a bit over 30% of the FY2025 DoD budget and larger than the Army and Navy budgets.* Retired Lt. Gen David Deptula and co-writer Mark Gunzinger illustrate this issue as they explain the Air Force’s need to rebuild its “antique force” (America needs to modernize its Air Force now — or be prepared to lose - Breaking Defense).  To recover from years of neglect and chronic under-investment, they write, the Air Force must rebuild, requiring upwards of $40 billion per year for several years!

A lot of money, yes, and that amount is in the Air Force budget! But here’s the issue … “a budgetary gimmick that dates to the 1960s. The Air Force’s annual budget contains a massive pass-through for other defense-wide spending, amounting to over $45 billion annually ... not one cent of that money is spent on or for the Air Force.” 

For the new administration and Congress, STOP THE GIMMICK, LEAVE THAT MONEY IN THE AIR FORCE BUDGET TO SPEND ON MUCH NEEDED MODERNIZATION, AND INCLUDE THE PASS-THROUGH WITH ALL THE OTHER DEFENSE-WIDE SPENDING!

* Table A-2 at FY2025_Budget_Request_Overview_Book.pdf