General Kenneth Wilsbach has been confirmed as the next US Air Force (USAF) chief of staff, as American airpower confronts transformation amid great power rivalry.
USAF secretary Troy Meink congratulated Wilsbach in a tweet following his confirmation by the Senate Armed Services Committee.
“I want to welcome General Kenneth Wilsbach as the 24th Chief of Staff of the Air Force! With his vast experience in the Pacific and as a commander at all levels, he is the right leader for the [USAF],” tweeted Meink.
The USAF faces major transformational decisions as it looks to deter peer threats such as China and Russia.
Key requirements include the development of the sixth-generation Boeing F-47 fighter and Northrop Grumman B-21 bomber, while also building out force numbers with more Lockheed Martin F-35As as well as the Boeing F-15EX.
Moreover, the USAF is figuring out how collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) will work alongside manned assets in contested environments. In Senate confirmation hearings earlier this month Wilsbach said that the USAF still has much to learn about how CCAs will be employed.
The USAF is evaluating a pair of CCAs, with the General Atomics Aeronautical Systems YFQ-42A prototype logging its first flight in August. Its rival, the Anduril Industries YFQ-44A, has yet to fly.
Wilsbach will also deal with the continued modernisation of the USAF tanker fleet, and its intercontinental ballistic missile force.
His tenure comes at a time of increasing tensions with China. As a former chief of Pacific Air Forces, Wilsbach is familiar with this challenge.
He may face questions about how well the USAF’s Agile Combat Employment strategy – which seeks to disperse US aircraft to various bases, creating targeting challenges for Beijing – will work in a conflict.
Wilsbach succeeds General David Allvin. In August, Allvin retired unexpectedly two years before the end of his term. His departure is effective 1 November.
