Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Ken Wilsbach and Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman outlined the request during testimony before the House Armed Services Committee. The $338.8 billion proposal includes $267.7 billion for the Air Force and $71.1 billion for the Space Force.
If approved as written, the request would increase the department’s total budget by $92.5 billion above current spending. Leaders said the funding is needed to sustain current operations while preparing both services for future conflict.
“We are in the middle of a generational shift in how we employ air and spacepower,” Meink said. “The FY27 budget increases our foundational readiness investments by 34%, providing the jump needed to truly recover.”
“We’re also looking at ways to operate more efficiently by accelerating decision-making, reducing barriers to entry for industry and leveraging innovative contract structures,” Meink added.
Wilsbach said the budget would accelerate Air Force modernization programs, with particular emphasis on future combat aircraft and supporting capabilities. “We are advancing the F-47 and Collaborative Combat Aircraft to increase combat mass and complicate adversary targeting,” Wilsbach said.
“We are upgrading our current fighter fleet to ensure it remains viable while also investing in long-range strike, advanced munitions, and resilient command and control,” he added.
The leaders told lawmakers that Air Force modernization priorities include the F-47, Sentinel, Collaborative Combat Aircraft and continued development of the B-21 Raider. The request also includes a 50% increase in research, development, test and evaluation funding to support next-generation aircraft, resilient space architectures and advanced command-and-control capabilities.
The budget would increase operations and maintenance spending by 23% across the department. That funding would support flying hours, maintenance, munitions, infrastructure upgrades and advanced training, including joint force exercises focused on space superiority.
For readiness, the request would fund the Air Force flying hour program to its maximum executable level of 1.1 million hours. It would also increase weapon system sustainment to $22.6 billion across 147 programs.
Department leaders said infrastructure readiness is also a major part of the request. The proposal directs $13.6 billion to facility sustainment, restoration and modernization, including operational facilities, launch infrastructure and future mission beddowns for next-generation air and space capabilities.
If approved by Congress, that infrastructure funding would represent a 110% increase over current-year spending for the same purposes. Leaders said the investments are needed to support future missions and improve readiness across both services.
Saltzman said the Space Force is facing increasing operational demands as it supports joint force operations in multiple theaters. “The nation has long recognized the need for the Space Force to grow, but we are now seeing the demand to accelerate that growth,” Saltzman said.
For the Space Force, top priorities include missile warning and tracking systems, satellite communications and space control capabilities. Saltzman said the service has also changed how it works with industry to accelerate capability delivery.
“I think the Space Force is on a good path. We have shifted our relationship with industry,” Saltzman said. “It was very transactional, so we are investing heavily with industry to collaborate, to get minimum products in the hands of our operators as quickly as possible with a small number of requirements necessary to just advance the programs.”
Meink described the budget as part of the broadest modernization program in the department’s history. “We are transforming our acquisition system,” he said.
“We are empowering our new Portfolio Acquisition Executives and their teams, with the authorities, resources and talent they need to accelerate capability delivery,” Meink added. “We are re-aligning portfolios to match mission outcomes.”
All three leaders also highlighted efforts to strengthen the defense industrial base through War Department acquisition transformation initiatives. These include commercial space capabilities, expanded weapons procurement and faster development of advanced munitions and hypersonic weapons.
The proposal also includes investments in personnel, housing, childcare, medical care and dormitory modernization. Meink said support for Airmen and Guardians remains essential to sustaining readiness and combat capability.
“This budget represents a clear-eyed assessment of the threats we face and a disciplined strategy to meet them,” Meink said.
