Secretary of The Air Force
On 9 June 2008, Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates recommended that President George W. Bush nominate Donley to become the Secretary of the Air Force. Gates also announced Donley would become the Acting Secretary of the Air Force effective on 21 June 2008. The U.S. Senate confirmed his nomination as the 22nd Secretary of the Air Force on 2 October 2008. Donley was reappointed as the Secretary of the Air Force by President Barack Obama in January 2009, and Donley retains this post as of May 2013.
As the Secretary of the Air Force, Donley is responsible for the operation of the Department of the Air Force, including organizing, training, equipping, and providing for the welfare of more than 300,000 men and women on active duty in the U.S. Air Force and their families, the 180,000 members of the Air National Guard and the Air Force Reserve, and 160,000 civilian employees of the Air Force. Donley also oversees the annual budget of the Department of the Air Force, about $110 billion.
On 13 April 2009, Donley and Chief of Staff of the Air Force Norton A. Schwartz jointly published an opinion piece in The Washington Post supporting the decision by Secretary Gates to discontinue the production of the F-22 Raptor fighter plane. Donley stated the "requirements for fighter inventories have declined and F-22 program costs have risen."
On 26 April 2013, Donley announced that he will step down as the Secretary of the Air Force on 21 June 2013.
Read more about this topic: Michael B. Donley
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