Congressman August Pfluger warned on March 11 that the United States Air Force is facing significant challenges due to decades of underinvestment, as outlined in his op-ed published by the Washington Post.
Pfluger said the Air Force now operates with its oldest aircraft and smallest force in history, a situation he believes puts national security at risk. He pointed to recent operations in Iran and Venezuela as examples of the extraordinary demands placed on American airpower. “Over the past year, American airpower has conducted three complex integrated missions involving fighters, bombers, refuelers, intelligence and cyber forces: Operation Midnight Hammer in Iran, Operation Absolute Resolve in Venezuela, and Operation Epic Fury, currently unfolding, once again, in Iran. No other military on earth could have executed these missions at similar scale or with comparable precision. And yet the uncomfortable truth is that our system should be blinking red. We are achieving extraordinary results, but our force and fleet are wearing out faster than they are being replaced,” Pfluger wrote.
He proposed four solutions to address these issues: investing directly in readiness; accelerating modernization through stable procurement; requiring transparent readiness metrics; and rebuilding the pipeline of warfighters. Pfluger concluded his piece by stating: “As I retire after two decades in uniform, I remain convinced that the U.S. still possesses the world’s finest air force, and that its best days lie ahead. I may be leaving the force, but I am still part of the mission as one of 17 Air Force veterans in Congress. We have started to move in the right direction. Now we must finish the job.”
Pfluger retired as a Colonel from the U.S. Air Force on February 1 after more than twenty years of service flying F-15C and F-22 aircraft across multiple combat missions before joining the Air Force Reserve in 2020. He now serves as Chairman of the U.S. Air Force Academy Board of Visitors.
Pfluger has represented Texas’s 11th District since 2021 according to Ballotpedia. He succeeded Mike Conaway after winning election against Jon Mark Hogg with nearly eighty percent of votes according to The Texas Tribune. Born in Houston in 1978 and currently residing in San Angelo, Pfluger continues his public service work representing Texas’ 11th district according to his official biography.
In reflecting on broader implications for national defense policy, Pfluger said that restoring readiness requires consistent investment beyond political cycles: “National defense requires consistency, clarity, and long-term commitment.”