×
GreekEnglish

×
  • Politics
  • Diaspora
  • World
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Culture
  • Sports
  • Cooking
Tuesday
13
Jan 2026
weather symbol
Athens 10°C
  • Home
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • World
  • Diaspora
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Culture
  • Sports
  • Mediterranean Cooking
  • Weather
Contact follow Protothema:
Powered by Cloudevo
> World

Mattis issues unprecedented fighter-jet Readiness order!

“We didn’t get here overnight and we’re not going to get out of here overnight”

Newsroom October 11 10:38

 

Defense Secretary James Mattis wants America’s fighter jets ready to rumble.

Mattis has ordered the Air Force and Navy to have the mission readiness of each of four key types of fighter jets increased to 80 percent. The Sept. 17 memo setting the goal singled out the F-35, F-22, F-16 and F-18 jets, Defense News reported.

The most recent readiness data from 2017 showed that 71.7 of the Air Force’s fighters were ready for action on any given day. One of those jets, the F-22, was at only 49.1 percent readiness.

Readiness has also been an issue for the Navy. In August, Navy Secretary Richard Spencer said this year started with 241 mission-capable jets but had increased to 270 by the late summer.

Vice Adm. DeWolfe Miller, chief of Naval Air Forces, recently estimated the F/A-18 Super Hornet fleet is at about 50 percent readiness, according to Military.com.

>Related articles

Danish and Greenlandic Foreign Ministers meet Vance and Rubio at the White House on Wednesday

Novartis case: Guilty verdict upheld on appeal for Destebasidis and Maraggelis

Russia declares war on the Ecumenical Patriarch: “He is dismantling the Body of the Church, has nationalist and neo-nazi allies”

In his memo, Mattis said “budget constraints and shortfalls in aviation squadrons across the force” have led to “systemic underperformance, overcapitalization and unrealized capacity.”

“For change to be effective and efficient, we must focus on meeting our most critical priorities first,” Mattis wrote.

Read more HERE

Ask me anything

Explore related questions

#air-force#diplomacy#fighter jets#military#politics#readiness#US defence secretary James Mattis#US NAVY#usa#USAF#world
> More World

Follow en.protothema.gr on Google News and be the first to know all the news

See all the latest News from Greece and the World, the moment they happen, at en.protothema.gr

> Latest Stories

Danish and Greenlandic Foreign Ministers meet Vance and Rubio at the White House on Wednesday

January 13, 2026

Thriller with a Cypriot flight attendant who was to board the Falcon that crashed – Detained in Turkey

January 13, 2026

Novartis case: Guilty verdict upheld on appeal for Destebasidis and Maraggelis

January 13, 2026

Drone attack on Greek-owned tankers in the Black Sea

January 13, 2026

Next-level skylines: The towers transforming cities in 2026

January 13, 2026

“End of the road” with the farmers, President Maria and the Fan-Farandourises, Kopy’s bonus, Trump’s close associate in Athens, Alexis’s green transfer

January 13, 2026

China responds to Trump’s Iran tariffs: ‘We will resolutely protect our interests’

January 13, 2026

Athens Stock Exchange: Maintains 16-year highs – Buyers insist for fifth day

January 13, 2026
All News

> Greece

Thriller with a Cypriot flight attendant who was to board the Falcon that crashed – Detained in Turkey

A report on a respected Turkish website claims that a Cypriot flight attendant who was part of the crew of the aircraft and did not board the fatal flight is being detained and questioned

January 13, 2026

Drone attack on Greek-owned tankers in the Black Sea

January 13, 2026

Winter chill recedes – Warmer weather approaching

January 13, 2026

How blockade hardliners undermined the third attempt at government dialogue

January 13, 2026

Motorcycle rider arrested in Thessaloniki for driving 128 km/h in residential area

January 12, 2026
Homepage
PERSONAL DATA PROTECTION POLICY COOKIES POLICY TERM OF USE
Powered by Cloudevo
Copyright © 2026 Πρώτο Θέμα