The U.S. Air Force plans to create a new point-defense weapons system and a dedicated career field to protect its bases from missiles and drones, Chief of Staff Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach announced Monday at the Air and Space Forces Air, Space and Cyber Symposium. The service says the career field will become operational within two years, while the weapons initiative will combine kinetic and non-kinetic capabilities. Defense News reported the announcement and the timeline for the career field.
“First, we will establish the point defense weapon system, bringing together kinetic and non-kinetic capabilities to secure our air bases,” Wilsbach said. He did not provide details about the system’s design or a schedule for fielding it.
Wilsbach said the Air Force had operated for decades from what he described as a position of sanctuary, but that point defense could no longer be treated as a secondary function. He also said the service needed airmen trained and equipped to continue generating air power during attacks.
The announcement followed Iranian attacks that caused damage at U.S. installations in the Middle East and exposed gaps in the ability to provide sustained air defenses for overseas bases. Wilsbach said stronger base defenses might have reduced the damage caused by the attacks. He cited Israel’s layered defenses as an example of how defensive systems can help a force continue operations while responding to incoming threats, according to The War Zone.
The Air Force has not traditionally operated the same range of ground-based air-defense systems as the Army. The War Zone’s surrounding reporting discussed Army systems such as Patriot and Avenger, as well as the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, which can provide broader defense against ballistic missiles. It also mentioned shorter-range systems such as the Centurion Counter-Rocket, Artillery, and Mortar system and Coyote counter-drone interceptors. Those systems were not identified by Wilsbach as part of Monday’s announcement.
The Air Force is examining an anti-aircraft gun system for defending air bases against drones and cruise missiles. The concept appeared in a recent Air Force request for information and forms part of a broader effort to expand the service’s role in ground-based air defense. The service is also considering directed-energy weapons, including lasers, for force protection, particularly at overseas bases. The War Zone reported that those systems remain under development.
Wilsbach separately announced the creation of a point-defense airmen career field. “Second, we have established a new career field of point defense airmen,” he said. “This new career field will be operational in two years.” Defense News reported that Senior Master Sgt. Andrew Lewis and Senior Master Sgt. Brandon Spears are the first field managers within the career track.
The career field is intended to provide personnel with specialized training for base defense. Wilsbach said the Air Force would develop the field and initially move it to critical bases that need protection most, then expand it beyond those locations. A June 2026 release cited by Defense News said specialized units would include personnel drawn from multiple career fields operating at selected Air Force installations.
The announcement came after deadly attacks on U.S. installations in the Middle East. Three U.S. soldiers were killed when an Iranian ballistic missile and drone attack penetrated defenses around Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan in July, according to Defense News. Six soldiers were killed in March after an Iranian drone struck a tactical operations center at Port Shuaiba, Kuwait, the publication reported.
Wilsbach also discussed the limits of relying on hardened aircraft shelters. He said such shelters could be useful when the location of future operations is known, but that mobile defensive systems could offer greater flexibility when the Air Force does not know where it will operate. He argued that deeply buried shelters would provide stronger protection but would also be expensive.
The Air Force has not released a detailed design or fielding schedule for the new weapons system. The career field, however, is scheduled to become operational within two years, with the service planning to begin at bases it considers most in need of point-defense personnel before expanding the capability.