Air Force Secretary Michael Donley and Gen. Mark Welsh, the branch’s chief of staff, highlighted the uncertain budget environment facing the branch during a press conference Thursday.
According to American Forces Press Service, Donley told reporters the branch’s service members are watching how Congress is handling issues surrounding the fiscal cliff and sequestration and warned the uncertainty could result in members leaving the Air Force.
Donley called the current crop of service members the most-educated the branch has ever had and said they are forming their own opinions of the process.
The Air Force is a $100 million-plus enterprise, he said, according to the report.
Welsh said service members want to know what is coming, adding that constant deployments since 1990 and maintenance work on aircraft such as the B-52 is wearing them down, AFPS reports.
Donley has previously said the threat of the sequester has loomed over all budget-related decisions.
