LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. — Defense Secretary Robert Gates launched the Air Force in a new direction Monday by announcing his choice for the service’s next uniformed chief and by declaring an immediate halt to personnel reductions that he said had put the Air Force under too much wartime strain.
Before flying to Langley to explain his moves to airmen and their commanders, Gates recommended that President Bush nominate Gen. Norton Schwartz, a 35-year veteran with a background in Air Force special operations, as the new Air Force chief of staff, replacing Gen. Michael Moseley, who has been sacked.
In a sweeping shake-up, Gates also formally sent former Air Force official Michael Donley’s name to the White House to be the next secretary of the beleaguered service. Bush quickly announced he would nominate Donley and designated him as acting secretary until he is confirmed by the Senate.
Gates announced Thursday that he was removing Moseley from the chief’s job and Michael Wynne as its top civilian to hold them accountable for failing to fully correct an erosion of nuclear-related performance standards, a concern linked to the cross-country flight last August of a B-52 carrying armed nuclear weapons.
Gates said he felt compelled to sweep out the current Air Force leadership to halt a long-term drift in the service’s focus.
He also noted that the Air Force has been engaged in combat continuously for 17 years, beginning with the 1991 Persian Gulf War and including years of flying combat missions in “no fly” zones over northern and southern Iraq.
“Your families have also borne this burden, and the Air Force has its own fallen heroes — often struck down while serving on the ground alongside our soldiers and Marines,” Gates said. “We know this, and we are working to ease the burden. For example, I intend immediately to stop further reductions in Air Force personnel.”
In 2006, the Air Force began a multiyear reduction in its ranks, taking it from nearly 360,000 to an intended target of 316,000 by 2010. By halting further cuts, Gates would leave the Air Force with about 330,000 personnel, Air Force officials said.
Schwartz has been commander of the U.S. Transportation Command since September 2005. A pilot with more than 4,200 flying hours, he served as commander of the Special Operations Command-Pacific, as well as Alaskan Command, Alaskan North American Aerospace Defense Command Region and the 11th Air Force.
