AFA Commends Pentagon for Support of E-7 Wedgetail

Arlington, Va. —The Air & Space Forces Association (AFA) commends the Department of War (DOW) for submitting a budget amendment in the fiscal 2027 budget request to fund new E-7A Wedgetail airborne early warning and battle management aircraft.

The decision to acquire the planes was disclosed by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth while testifying before the House Appropriations Committee.

“The Pentagon’s decision to restore E-7 Wedgetail funding reflects exactly why sustained, informed advocacy matters: By highlighting the risks of not modernizing this capability, AFA and Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies and AFA helped convince Congress that canceling the E-7 would create an unacceptable gap in capability,” said Lt. Gen. David A. Deptula, USAF (Ret.) Dean of AFA’s Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies. “While there is no doubt that future space-based capabilities will be overwhelmingly important, they are not yet a near-term substitute for the proven, theater-wide command-and-control capability provided by the E-7 provides. By pressing the issue in the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act, Congress kept the program alive and to encourage DOW to rethink its plans. We are gratified that DOW has now reconsidered.”

AFA and the Mitchell Institute organized a coordinated a letter from 16 retired four-star generals, including six former Air Force Chiefs of Staff in 2025, when the plan to cancel the E-7 was first disclosed and AFA has kept the E-7 as a top legislative priority ever since.

“Secretary Hegseth’s budget amendment is a significant win for the Air Force and the Joint Force—and a testament to what sustained advocacy can achieve,” said Lt. Gen. Burt Field, USAF (Ret.), AFA’s President & CEO. “This fight is not over, however, and continued advocacy will be essential to ensure Congress fully funds the program. We thank the members of AFA, who make this work possible, and the airpower and spacepower leaders who have lent their voices to ensure the E-7 enters service soon.”

About AFA

The Air & Space Forces Association is an independent, non-profit 501(c)3 association dedicated to advocating for the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Space Force, Airmen, Guardians, and their Families. Founded in 1946, AFA is the single largest entity of its kind focused on air and space power. With more than 350,000 members and 200 chapters spread around the world, our mission is to promote dominant U.S. Air Force and Space Force as the foundation of a strong National Defense; to honor and support Airmen, Guardians, and their Families; and to remember and respect the enduring heritage of the Air Force and Space Force.