Cole Remarks at Oversight Hearing on the United States Air Force and Space Force

Thank you, Chairman Calvert and Ranking Member McCollum. I want to thank the witnesses for being here with us today to discuss the current lay of the land for the Department of the Air Force.

Acting Secretary Ashworth, welcome to the Defense Subcommittee. Generals, nice to see you this afternoon. You are sitting before us as the Air Force and Space Force face a critical path ahead. The world continues to be a volatile place, with malign actors challenging American interests near and far. Time is not on our side as our adversaries have been outpacing and outproducing us. 

We are at a pivotal moment, where we need the Air Force and Space Force that we have today to deter future conflict tomorrow. I am concerned that it has been taking us too long to acquire new aircraft, weapons systems, and space capabilities, and I am interested in hearing how the Department of the Air Force views managing risk as it pivots some missions from aircraft to space.  For years, I have expressed serious concerns about capability gaps during transitions from one platform to the next. Given the challenges geostrategic complexities present today, this is certainly not a time to impose additional budgetary, programmatic, and national security risks. 

The future of air power depends on multi-tasking. We need to modernize and move into the next generation of air superiority, while simultaneously sustaining our inventory of aircraft. Unfortunately, over time, we have seen an erosion of some basics that are going to require your attention. One of these areas is manufacturing. Critical aspects of our industrial base have atrophied, and we need to rapidly address aging and obsolete parts across platforms. There is an opportunity to not just grow relevant technical skills, but to also have a modernized and agile approach moving forward. I would like to hear your thoughts on advanced manufacturing capability in this country, and the benefit it might have for the Air Force. 

Modern deterrence hinges on the success of our Air and Space Forces, and I look forward to being able to see where resources will be applied for these efforts in the Fiscal Year 2026 budget request. I am encouraged to see that the total amount in the defense submission will top $1 trillion. This topline demonstrates a strong commitment to national security. We also need the line-by-line budget details for the Committee to get to work – in earnest - to uphold fiscal discipline and effective governance. The Committee is prepared to do the hard work and produce appropriations bills by the end of the fiscal year, but we will need the military to provide timely responses to inquiries after the budget is submitted. 

Again, thank you for being here today. I yield back.