The Department of the Air Force's priorities are readiness, modernization, defending the homeland — including the entire hemisphere, border security, missile defense, nuclear deterrence and people, said Air Force Secretary Troy Meink, who spoke yesterday during the Air and Space Forces Association's 2026 Warfare Symposium in Aurora, Colorado.
From a conventional deterrence perspective, the focus is on China, which continues to expand and modernize its military at an extremely fast pace, making deterrence in the Indo-Pacific region the biggest challenge by far, he said.
"Given that threat environment, the Air Force and the Space Force must be ready at any time for any threat across the entire spectrum of conflict," Meink said.
One of the challenges is scaling up production of weapon systems and munitions. Accomplishing that requires the revival of the defense industrial base, which has experienced decades of neglect, he said.
The good news is that beginning last year, production of advanced aircraft and munitions has ramped up. Not as fast as needed, but faster than in the past, the secretary said, adding the testing program for the LGM-35A Sentinel is proceeding well.
The Air Force will replace the aging LGM-30 Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile with the Sentinel ICBM. This represents the modernization of the land-based leg of the nuclear triad.
In the space domain, an increase in rocket launches has put more capability into orbit than ever before, thanks to help from commercial partnerships and other military services, as well as the National Reconnaissance Office.
Acquisition transformation includes delivering mission-effective capabilities faster.
"To do that, we must innovate faster than our adversaries," the secretary said.
To accomplish this, the workforce must be empowered to unleash their talent, take the initiative and know that supervisors have their backs, Meink said, adding that the Department of the Air Force has a phenomenal team.