WASHINGTON — Recently retired Air Force Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach has emerged as a serious contender to be the next Air Force chief of staff, sources told Breaking Defense.
Following Gen. David Allvin’s surprise announcement on Monday that he plans to retire in November, three people familiar with the discussions pointed to Wilsbach as high on the prospective list to succeed Allvin, with two of those sources indicating the former Air Combat Command (ACC) head should be viewed as the front runner. The people requested anonymity to discuss sensitive details.
Like other positions in the Trump administration, the situation may still be fluid and it’s possible that another candidate is ultimately selected. It is also unknown how quickly Trump will move to make a nomination, which must be confirmed by the Senate. But should Wilsbach be picked, he would be the second retired Air Force officer under Trump’s leadership to be called back into active duty for a key Pentagon post following the selection of Gen. Dan Caine to serve as the joint chiefs chairman.
A White House spokesperson referred a request for comment to the Pentagon, which referred Breaking Defense to the Air Force. The Air Force did not respond by press time.
Wilsbach, who retired from the Air Force this month after leading ACC is a fighter pilot by craft, having flown aircraft like the F-22 Raptor. Prior to helming ACC, Wilsbach was the commander of Pacific Air Forces.
Allvin’s retirement announcement on Monday blindsided much of the national security community, and did not include a reason for his highly unusual decision to step aside halfway into his four-year term. The Air Force declined to comment on the move to Breaking Defense. The Washington Post on Monday reported that Allvin was forced out by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and was offered the opportunity to announce his own resignation.
An Air Force Academy graduate and cargo pilot by training, Allvin had recently become an unusually vocal advocate for his service, arguing in an exclusive interview with Breaking Defense that threats from modern adversaries like China demand greater investment in airpower, even at the expense of fellow military branches. As the 23rd Air Force chief of staff, Allvin oversaw the launch of key new programs for the Air Force, including the award of the F-47 stealth fighter contract to Boeing in March.
If selected, Wilsbach would guide the service during a critical window, as fears mount that China could invade Taiwan and invoke a US response. In his own right, Wilsbach has commanded forces amid what he called “completely unprofessional and totally unsafe” intercepts by Chinese pilots.
“What’s disturbing is … their typical response is, ‘This is your fault, because this wouldn’t have happened if you weren’t here,’” Wilsbach told reporters in September 2023, regarding cases where American officials have been able to confront their Chinese counterparts on the intercepts.
“Do it safely, do it professionally and everybody will be okay,” Wilsbach said. “We won’t have a miscalculation. We won’t have a disaster.”
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Author: Michael Marrow, Valerie Insinna and Aaron Mehta
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