Air Force World First Weapons School F-35s Course (WIC), and the aircraft will initially operate under the The US Air Force Weapons School at Nellis AFB, Nev., umbrella of the 16th Weapons Squadron, the F-16 WIC unit, received its first F-35A, announced base officials. The aircraft said Lt. Col. David Epperson, the squadron’s commander. was delivered from Lockheed Martin’s production facility in The school is scheduled to receive 24 F-35As, tentatively Fort Worth, Texas, to Nellis on Jan. 15. beginning USAFWS F-35 courses in January 2018. Over the next year, the school’s instructors and staff will Nellis has hosted a separate force of F-35As for devel- develop curriculum for the first F-35A Weapons Instructor opmental and operational testing since March 2013. screenshot 14 AIR FORCE Magazine / March 2015 By Aaron M. U. Church, Associate Editor European Base Consolidation The biggest change for the Air Force will be the closure The Defense Department plans to return use of 15 sites, of RAF Mildenhall in England where the US’ only European located in the United Kingdom, Germany, Belgium, the permanently stationed aerial tankers are based. The 15 KC- Netherlands, Italy, and Portugal, back to their host nations. 135s will move to Germany, and Mildenhall’s other assets will The base closures will be implemented under the Euro- be dispersed to other European locations. pean Infrastructure Consolidation plan, announced by US The Defense Department also announced plans to continue European Command on Jan. 8. with the streamlining process at Lajes Field in Azores, Portugal. 02.08.2015 MSgt. Rebecca Jackonic, a fl ight engineer with the 758th Airlift Squadron, runs a prefl ight check on a C-130 at Pittsburgh Arpt./ARS, Pa., prior to an airdrop mission. USAF photo by SSgt. Justyne Obeldobel AIR FORCE Magazine / March 2015 15 Ai F r c e o r l d D OD , U S AF B u d ge P r o p o s al G o e t o C ngr e s T h e f e n s e e p ar m e n t n e b . 2 r p o s e d a 5 5 3 12 t a k e rs . T h F - 3 5 i s b u d g e t e d f o r $ 6 . 0 b i l l i o n t o p ro cu re b i l l i o n i s cal 2016 u d g e t o o n g r s s , n c u d i n g 50. 9 4 4 e t s . T w e n t y - s e v e n - 13 0 s f al l ar an t s , n c u d i n g b i l l i o n o r v e r e as c n t i n g e n c p e rat i o n s . car o a d p e c a p e ra i o n s y p e s , ar u n d e d o r 2. 4 T he A ir F orc’s prposed budget is $167.3 billion, b i l l i o n . T he r q u e s t o u l d al s o u y 29 M - 9 e ap e r n i n c u d i n g 122 2 i l l i o n n l u e , e r i c - s p e c f i c r g ram F i s cal 2016 , p r m 24 n he n ac e d i s cal 2015 u d g e t . spending. T he rst is divided betw een $34.5 billion in I n a d i t i o n o t h $ 15 6 b i l l i o n f o r a rcra t , a f u rt h r $ 2 1 jo in t in itiativ e s , an d the s e r ic ’s $ 10.7 b illio n s har o f b i l l i o n o u l d o o i s s i l e s , 1. 8 i l l i o n o am m u n i t i o n , O C O u n d i n g . $ 2. 6 i l l i o n o p ac , an d 3 . 2 i l l i o n o r t he r t e m s . U S A F ’ s r q u e s t o u l d e g i n he r c s s f r c v e r n g T h r q u e s t r a f i r s S A F ’ s c m m i t m e n t o u s t a n i n g f r m t hr e y e ar o f c t s , s ai d Maj . G e n . J am e s F . Mar i n a d m o d e r i z i n g t h n u cl e ar e n t e rp ri s e , i n v e s t i n g i n I C B M J r. , e p u t y as s i s t an t e cr t ar o r u d g e t , r e f i n g he f u z e r p l ac m e n t a d G r u n d B a e d t ra e g i c D e t e rr n t . r l l o u t . W e hav e he e w e s t u m b e r f ai r e n an d ai r- I t al s o i e l d s c n v e r e d A r y H - 6 0A l ac aw k s as craf t i n c u r cr at i o n n 19 4 7 , an d he av e rag e ag e f a r p l ac m e n t o r i e t n am - e ra H - 1N he l i c p t e r l e e t . o u r ai rcraf t i s al m o s t 27 y e ar , ” s ai d Mar i n . “ W e s i m p l y I f he u d g e t o n t r l A c - m an d at e d e q u e s t e r s o t can ’ t af f o r o e t m al l e r. ” r p e a e d , t h A i r F o rc w o u l d n e e d t o c i p a e n t i r F - 3 5 T he l u e o p l i n e n c u d e s 4 7 . 8 i l l i o n o r p e rat i o n s q u ad r n — 14 ai rcraf t , i v e s t he l o b al aw k l o c 0 an d ai n t e n an c u p r m h 4 3 . 5 i l l i o n n he n - f l e e t , r p l o c 0 o d i f i ca i o n s , a d c t 10 P A c m b a ace d F is cal 2015 d e fe n s e le g is latio n ); $ 29 .0 b illio n fo r ai r at r l s — e q u i v al e n t o he o rc e v e l p e rat i n g v e r m ilitar p e r o n n e l (a tad m o r than the $ 28 .8 b illio n in I raq an d y r a, e ad e r cau t i o n e d . F i s cal 2015) ; 25. 3 i l l i o n o r r c r m e n t a he f t y u m p T he C - 10 l e e t o u l d e r t i r d ar y , l i m i n at i n g 13 c m p ar d to F is cal 2015’s $ 19 .0 b illio n ); $ 18 .0 b illio n fo r p e rc n t o f t h A i r F o rc ’ s r f u e l i n g cap ab i l i t y , an d U S A F r s e arch, e v e l o p m e n t , e s t , an d v al u at i o n c m p ar d w o u l d e f e r r p l ac n g he 27 - y e ar o l d A i r o rc n e l e e t t o 16 .