Arlington, VA, September 17, 1996 -- Delegates to the Air Force Association's 1996 Annual National Convention and Aerospace Technology Exposition, held in Washington, D.C., overwhelmingly approved a policy statement that hailed the central role air and space power will play in any future conflict.

"The primacy of air and space in national security will be even more pronounced in the years ahead," the AFA Statement of Policy for 1996-1997 declared. "Command of air and space will be fundamental to all else."

The policy document added that "the Air Force can and does support surface operations, but it can also achieve tactical or strategic objectives independent of surface power or with land or sea forces in support."

But, the Association warned, "the U.S. military advantage of tomorrow depends on force modernization investments today, particularly in stealthy aircraft, precision-strike weapons, space systems, surveillance and reconnaissance, information warfare capabilities and modern air mobility. During interludes of peace, the nation must not allow itself to be lulled into believing it can neglect the making of provisions for the future."

The paper again reiterated the Association's position that the two-Major Regional Conflict strategy is a reasonable minimum for sizing the force; however, under that construct, the Air Force would need at least 24 fighter wing equivalents, four more than current plans allow.

According to AFA, the defense budget has been cut to the danger line. The Association also claimed that the current force could not do what it did in Desert Storm. "The force that won the Gulf War no longer exists," the paper stated.

The latest administration budget proposal, adjusted for inflation, would put the defense budget 40 percent below its peak during the 1980s. "Arguments that the defense burden is becoming unbearable are patently absurd," the paper said. AFA continues to believe that the defense budget should be driven by validated requirements and not reduced to meet external budget constraints.

AFA reaffirmed its commitment to improving the quality of life for the men and women who serve in the United States Air Force and their families, and acknowledged the Department of Defense and the Air Force for undertaking critical quality of life initiatives.

However, AFA also stated that more work remains to be done in this area. Military pay continues to lag behind private sector compensation, inadequate military housing is too prevalent, and there has been an alarming decrease in the quality of health care for Air Force personnel and their families. If these problems are not corrected, they could adversely affect morale, recruiting, readiness and retention.

Among these areas, the paper raised "a special alarm" about health care. "It is time to restore credibility to the entitlement of health care for service members, military retirees, veterans, and families."