It could be more than a decade before Air Force readiness levels are back to where they need to be for the service to truly be "ready" for the full range of missions the nation may ask it to perform. The Fiscal 2017 budget request places a heavy emphasis on rebuilding the force by increasing Active Duty end strength from 311,000 to 317,000 and funding much-needed training improvements. However, the heavy operational tempo, coupled with the fact that today's Air Force is the "smallest, oldest, and least ready" it has ever been, continues to take its toll on the service, Gen. David L. Goldfein, USAF vice chief of staff, told members of Congress in March.
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