The Force We Need study provides the initial response the Air Force owes to Congress. In posture hearings in Spring 2018, the Air Force stated it would deliver a preliminary answer on the required force structure based on the new National Defense Strategy (NDS) by the end of August. This Air Force analysis supports a large study effort based on the FY18 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), Section 1064 to present alternative aircraft inventories to meet the National Security and National Defense Strategies of the United States.
