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 and subcommittees of the United States Congress, jointly presented by the Acting Secretary of the Air Force, the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, and the Chief of Space Operations. The core context of the statement is that the United States currently faces one of the most dangerous security environments in its history, with the People's Republic of China explicitly defined as the DAF's sole pacing threat. The document aims to clarify the strategic priorities established by the DAF to defend the U.S. homeland, deter global aggression, and defeat adversaries should deterrence fail, thereby justifying the necessity of the FY 2026 budget request.

The statement begins by outlining three core priorities for the DAF to achieve its mission: revitalizing the warfighting spirit of its personnel, rebuilding military strength, and restoring effective deterrence. Revitalizing the warfighting spirit focuses on training personnel in competitive environments and fostering a will to win. Rebuilding military strength concentrates on developing capabilities for high-end conflict (i.e., conventional warfare with a peer competitor), revitalizing the defense industrial base, and undertaking organizational restructuring, aiming to gain asymmetric advantages across the conflict spectrum. Restoring deterrence emphasizes making competitors reassess their ability to challenge core U.S. interests through global power projection, credible nuclear deterrence, and cooperation with allies and partners.

The document dedicates significant space to a detailed analysis of the multifaceted specific threats from China, which directly shape the DAF's fiscal priorities and capability development direction. Financially, the report notes that China's defense budget has nearly doubled over the past 11 years, with an average annual growth of approximately 6%, and its actual military budget is now comparable to that of the United States, even exceeding it from a purchasing power parity perspective. In contrast, U.S. defense spending grew by about 3% during the same period, with growth in the last five years falling below the inflation rate, effectively diminishing the utility of the funds.

In terms of military capabilities, the report systematically assesses China's aerial, space, missile, and nuclear threats. Regarding aerial threats, the People's Liberation Army possesses the largest aviation force in the Indo-Pacific region and the third largest globally, continuously upgrading its fighter jets, bombers, and unmanned aerial systems, and has already demonstrated a sixth-generation fighter. Concerning space threats, China is developing a full spectrum of counterspace capabilities, including kinetic anti-satellite missiles, co-orbital satellites, electromagnetic warfare, and directed-energy weapons. Its massive satellite constellation (over 1,060 satellites) is half dedicated to intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, aiming to deny U.S. space capabilities and enhance tracking and strike capabilities against terrestrial joint forces. Regarding missile threats, the PLA Rocket Force possesses a vast and modernized missile arsenal covering ranges from Taiwan to the U.S. homeland, including missiles equipped with hypersonic glide vehicles, posing an increasingly dangerous threat to U.S. bases, allies, and the homeland. On nuclear threats, China is expanding and modernizing its nuclear arsenal, projected to triple its number of nuclear warheads over the next decade.

Based on the above threat assessment, the statement concludes by emphasizing that timely and sufficient resource investment is key to maintaining competitiveness and a lethal force ready at any time and place. The report warns that failure to provide authorizations and appropriations on time will prevent the Air and Space Forces from fully addressing severe geopolitical, technological, and economic challenges, giving adversaries the opportunity to narrow or even reverse the gap. Therefore, the DAF urges Congress to approve the FY 2026 budget request without delay to support a stable industrial base and ensure continued leadership in a changing strategic landscape.