“I know our department had taken the position that it was airborne or other satellite ISR that was probably going to be capable of a lot of that in the future, but I think that mindset was indicative of a mindset that we’ve shed, which is the divest-to-invest mindset,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told House appropriators on Tuesday.
Pentagon reverses course and sends budget amendment to the White House
In a sudden about-face, Pentagon leaders have asked the White House to restore funding for the E-7 Wedgetail after the aircraft was zeroed out of the 2027 budget request. Hegseth told appropriators that the department has sent a budget amendment to the White House following the removal of Wedgetail funding from the request. The secretary framed the reversal as a departure from what he called a “divest-to-invest mindset,” saying there remain gaps and battlefield systems that “still need to be funded.”
Air Force posture: satellites, programs, and recent statements
The Air Force had earlier taken the position that new-technology satellites would be the proper replacement for the E-3 Sentry—also known as AWACS—and sought to zero out Wedgetail funding in its 2026 budget request. Last year Hegseth had echoed that view, describing the E-7 as too vulnerable for modern conflict. Still, lawmakers had allocated more than $1 billion for the Wedgetail after the service removed it from its request.
Air Force Secretary Troy Meink has signaled a more agnostic posture in recent weeks. Meink told reporters at the Space Symposium in Colorado that “The capability that the E-7 will provide is an important capability, and so we need to look at what we're going to do.” He added that the Air Force is “finalizing those decisions within the Pentagon about how we want to do that, and we'll roll that out to the Hill when it's appropriate.”
Operational pressures: damaged E-3s and other platform losses
The debate over replacements and force structure is taking place under stark operational pressures. The reporting states that one E-3 was heavily damaged during the Iran war, and only a few others remain. The Air Force has also suffered losses of aging tankers during the same conflict, a combination that former military leaders told Defense One has focused attention on prioritizing key upgrades to battlespace awareness technology and AWACS replacements.
Program status: prototypes, planned buys, and competing space investments
Program-level details cited in the reporting show the Wedgetail program already has two prototypes under contract. Meink told House lawmakers late last month that the Air Force is planning to buy five E-7s in addition to those two prototypes. An Air Force spokesperson told Defense One that while the budget request did not include Wedgetail funding, “the Air Force is evaluating options to resource the E-7 program in FY 2027 to deliver Rapid Prototyping aircraft and continue Engineering and Manufacturing Development activities.”
At the same time, the Air Force continues to plan major spending on space-based systems: the reporting cites a planned $7 billion investment for a new airborne moving-target communication capability. That signals competing demands inside the Pentagon as leaders reassess where to place bets between airborne platforms and space systems.
What this means for the Air Force, lawmakers, and former military leaders
- Air Force: The service must reconcile competing priorities—finalize decisions about Wedgetail procurement while advancing high-dollar space buys such as the cited $7 billion moving-target communications program. The Air Force has said it is “evaluating options” for FY 2027 resourcing and plans to brief the Hill when appropriate.
- Lawmakers: Congress has already demonstrated willingness to fund the program despite the Air Force request, allocating more than $1 billion after the service sought to zero out the plane. The budget amendment now with the White House will determine whether that funding is restored in the administration’s FY 2027 posture.
- Former military leaders and battlefield commanders: With one E-3 heavily damaged and only a few remaining, and with reported tanker losses, former military leaders have urged that upgrades to battlespace awareness and AWACS replacements be prioritized—an argument that has helped prompt the Pentagon’s renewed attention to the Wedgetail.
Hegseth concluded the policy shift with a succinct assessment of the platform’s prospects: “I think it has a future,” he said, referring to the Wedgetail. The immediate next step documented in the reporting is the Pentagon’s budget amendment to the White House; how the White House and Congress ultimately reconcile the competing demands for airborne and space investments will determine whether the E-7 moves from prototype and planning into a funded production path.
