U.S. Department of the Air Force Posture Statement: Fiscal Year

Key Chapter Title List

1. Overview
2. Addressing the Growing Threats
3. Financial Threats
4. Aerial Threats
5. Space Threats
6. Missile Threats
7. Nuclear Threats

Document Introduction

This document is the Fiscal Year 2026 posture statement submitted by the Department of the Air Force (DAF) to the relevant committees of the 119th United States Congress, jointly presented by Acting Secretary of the Air Force Gary Ashworth, Chief of Staff of the Air Force General David W. Allvin, and Chief of Space Operations General B. Chance Saltzman. The statement aims to articulate the Department's core mission, strategic priorities, and budget requirements within the current severe security environment. Its central objective is to defend the U.S. homeland, deter aggression and war globally, and defeat adversaries should deterrence fail.

The statement begins by establishing three strategic pillars: Revitalizing the Warfighter Spirit, Rebuilding Military Strength, and Reshaping Deterrence. Revitalizing the Warfighter Spirit focuses on strengthening personnel development and combat readiness training to equip Air and Space Force personnel with the will and capability to fight and win in contested environments. Rebuilding Military Strength concentrates on developing advanced capabilities, revitalizing the defense industrial base, and restructuring the department's framework to address high-end conventional conflicts with peer adversaries. This involves investing in modern technologies and rapidly fielding them to forces to gain asymmetric advantages across the conflict spectrum. Reshaping Deterrence emphasizes making competitors reassess their ability to challenge U.S. core interests through global power projection, a credible nuclear deterrent, and cooperation with allies and partners, thereby achieving peace through strength.

The document explicitly states that China is viewed as the Department's sole pacing threat, being the only nation with both the intent and the growing capability to challenge U.S. core interests. The statement provides a detailed analysis of the systemic threats posed by China across multiple domains. Financially, China's defense budget has nearly doubled over the past eleven years, with an average annual growth of approximately 6%. Its actual military expenditure is now comparable to that of the United States, and when measured by purchasing power parity, it has surpassed the U.S. Meanwhile, the growth rate of U.S. defense spending lags behind inflation, undermining its ability to maintain military superiority over China.

At the military capability level, the statement conducts a domain-specific assessment. Regarding aerial threats, the People's Liberation Army possesses the largest aviation force in the Indo-Pacific region and the third largest globally, comprising over 1,900 fighter aircraft, an increasing number of fifth-generation J-20 stealth fighters, two unveiled sixth-generation fighter prototypes, and a modernized bomber and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) system. Its long-range precision strike and unmanned combat capabilities continue to strengthen. In terms of space threats, China operates over 1,060 satellites and is actively developing various counterspace capabilities, including direct-ascent anti-satellite missiles, co-orbital killer satellites, electromagnetic warfare, and directed energy weapons, aiming to deny U.S. access to and utilization of the space domain. Concerning missile threats, the PLA Rocket Force maintains a vast arsenal of short- and medium-range missiles capable of covering the First and Second Island Chains, as well as reaching Alaska and Australia, alongside over 400 intercontinental ballistic missiles. The deployment of its hypersonic glide vehicles is altering the regional balance of power.

The statement concludes by emphasizing that timely and sufficient defense budget authorization and appropriation are crucial for maintaining a competitive advantage and addressing geopolitical and technological challenges. Budget delays or inadequacies would lead to unacceptable operational risks, providing adversaries with opportunities to narrow or even reverse the gap. Therefore, the Department of the Air Force urges Congress to approve the FY2026 budget request without delay to support a stable industrial base and ensure the force remains lethally combat-ready at all times.