It looks like funding for more F-22's has died.

So there will apparently be no more F-22's bought by the Air Force. Good. It's the most expensive fighter ever and has never performed as expected. Here is Steve Benen's comment.

...it's worth remembering that the F-22 is a bit of a mess. For every hour it spends in the air, it requires more than 30 hours of maintenance. One of its key problems is -- I'm not kidding -- "vulnerability to rain." After years of effort, the plane, in operational flight tests, has met only seven of its 22 "key requirements." It features a radar-absorbing canopy that tends to imprison pilots for hours. It was designed to address Cold War-era national security needs, and has flown a grand total of zero missions in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The only politicians who will vote for the F-22 now are those paid by the manufacturer to vote for it. America simply can't afford any more of the donation magnets which have no current or anticipated combat value.

I say this as a Fort Worth resident who will regret the job loss here. Our economy will take a hit because of this budget item disappearing. But our troops in combat will either get better support or they will get better care if they come home wounded. This is a support-the-troops move.

The Air Force shake up is aimed at the roots of the Air Force culture

The firing of the Air force Chief of staff (a fighter pilot) and his replacement by a special ops pilot who is not a member of the Christian evangelists who have taken control of the Air force since the end of the Cold War means a really major attack on the current culture of the Air Force. Laura Rozen comments on the Bob Gates initiated change.

"USAF CoS: Fighter pilots 'out,' unconventional ops, team player 'in'":

The SAC bomber pilots ran the USAF from 1947-1989. The fighter pilots, mostly "F-15 mafia" (fighter vs. the attack air-to-ground guys like me), have run the USAF since 1989.

Gates appointment of Schwartz is significant for a number of reasons, and clearly points to issues of "roles and missions" and procurement strategy -- not just nuclear weapon assurance.

Expect more emphasis on:

-- team player leadership vs. fighter pilot mavericks who nod their heads at civilian Pentagon leadership then do whatever they please

-- mobility (tanker/transport) vs. combat forces (fighter/attack/bomber)

-- UAVs (unmanned "drones") procurement vs. fighters (especially F-22 - the USAF gold-plated fighter without an adversary)

-- USAF support for small-unit special ops vs. preparing for global war with one of the [B]RIC nations

-- (perhaps) less promotion based on secret hand-shake patronage

The fact that Gates is going the Langley AFB (USAF's fighter HQ) to lecture them on leadership is really striking. It is a direct slap at the entrenched USAF culture.

Last, I don't know if Gen. Schwartz is Jewish or not. Given his name, he may be. If he is, his appointment is also a strong message against the evangelical Christian cult that has overtaken the USAF since the end of the Cold War.

The places to look for real change are a revamp of announced strategy along with changes in weapons system procurement.

One area I would speculate on is that since the Marine Corps is in the process of proving the V-22 Osprey, a major change in aerial support of special operations troops, will the Air Force increase purchases of the Osprey?

Another place to look is the procurement of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

This is an interesting move from Bob Gates.