Air Force Chief of Staff Visits McEntire Joint National Guard Base, Talks Budget and Pilot Shortage

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Eastover, SC (WOLO)– Washington’s elite visited Mcentire Joint National Guard Base Friday afternoon. Senator Lindsey Graham, Congressman Joe Wilson, and Air Force Chief of Staff General David Goldfein toured the base. The trio held a press conference after their meeting discussing Department of Defense funding and the future of the Air Force. President Donald Trump phoned into the meeting.  During the press conference, Graham said President Trump called him just minutes before and they discussed spending more money on F-35s.  

“I told the president just a few minutes ago, that I’m not looking for a fair fight. Between us and any potential adversary. I want the Chinese and the Russians and any other nation-state to know, that if you go to air against the United States Air Force, the Navy and the Marine Corps, you’re not coming back,” Graham said. Senator Graham said he is ready to fight to ensure there are no budget cuts to the nations Department of Defense. Graham said he, along with Congressman Joe Wilson, will “make life miserable” for those in Washington who want to go back to sequestration levels of defense spending.

“We need more money, we need more people, we need newer equipment, but we have an obligation to do it in a smart way,” Graham said.  

Senator Graham is pushing for more F-35s, and wants them here in South Carolina; but even with the purchase of more jets, there are not enough pilots in the military to fly them.

“This is a national level challenge. The problem statement would be, we as a nation don’t produce today enough pilots to adequately service the demand for military, civilian and business aviation,” Goldfein said.

“There’s a thousand pilot shortage in the United States Air Force at a time North Korea is getting much more confrontational. Russia and China are spending a ton of money upgrading their land, naval and air forces,” Graham said.  

Another solution they proposed for South Carolina, is long-term recruitment where they’re bringing grade-schoolers onto the base to get them involved with the air force early.