Incoming US Air Force Chief to Keep Global Hawks

General Mark Welsh, the next Air Force Chief of Staff, admitted that the service's fiscal 2013 budget was "simply not executable" in the face of Congressional opposition over cuts to the Air National Guard. Welsh vowed to work with Congress, the Guard, and governors "so we never end up here again."

Welsh also said the Air Force would not withdraw the nine Block 30 Global Hawks now in use by the Central, Pacific, and European Commands -- a decision he attributed to the current chief of staff, General Norton Schwartz. The House had voted against the Air Force's plans to retire the Block 30s, but the Senate had not taken a stand, and until recently the service had been sticking with plans to bring the nine deployed aircraft back to the US to be mothballed. Keeping the drones flying is another sign of Air Force deference to Congress.

Source: AOL Defense