NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. The Air Force will not face a leadership gap when Gen. David W. Allvin retires in early November. Secretary of the Air Force Troy E. Meink told reporters on Sept. 22 that “we’re not gonna not have a chief,” adding that transition planning is already laid in and will hold through confirmation.
Allvin announced in mid-August that he will retire on or about Nov. 1 and said he would remain in office until a successor is confirmed. The service later moved to lock in that successor. The White House sent Gen. Kenneth S. Wilsbach’s nomination to the Senate on Sept. 29, and the Air Force issued its public notice on Sept. 30.
A hearing to consider Wilsbach is posted for Oct. 9. If the Senate clears him in time, the handoff from Allvin will occur with no break in authority. If the vote slips, long-standing rules allow an acting chief to carry the portfolio until the Senate finishes.
Allvin’s retirement timeline and Wilsbach’s nomination details
Allvin has served as the Air Force’s 23rd chief of staff since Nov. 2, 2023 after a tour as vice chief. His retirement notice, published Aug. 18, set an “on or about Nov. 1” date and made clear he would stay in place until a successor is confirmed to ensure a clean handover. Defense officials confirm that plan remains unchanged as of this week.
The administration picked Wilsbach, a career fighter pilot and former Air Combat Command leader, as the 24th chief. Senate records show the nomination arrived Sept. 29 and was referred to the Armed Services Committee. The department’s public release followed on Sept. 30 and included Meink’s support statement. A committee notice posts the hearing for Oct. 9 at 09:30, Dirksen G-50.
Industry sources point to Wilsbach’s recent ACC command and earlier Pacific assignments as the experience base the department wants at the top of the Air Staff. The internal expectation, if confirmed, places the oath soon after the floor vote to avoid overlap and prevent any lapse at the head of the service.
Meink’s core message on Sept. 22 stayed consistent across his conference rounds. He would not handicap timing on a final vote, but he emphasized continuity and readiness while the nomination moved. The setting was the annual Air, Space & Cyber conference at National Harbor, where he also laid out focus areas for the coming months.
Vice Chief vacancy since February 2025 and nomination changes
The vice chief’s chair has been empty since Feb. 21, when President Donald Trump removed Gen. Jim Slife during a broad leadership shakeup across the department. That same night saw other top departures, including the Joint Chiefs chair and the Navy’s top officer. In July, the White House nominated Gen. Thomas A. Bussiere to fill the Air Force vice role. The nomination was withdrawn in early September, and Bussiere retired Oct. 1.
Day-to-day vice chief duties did not halt after February. An acting three-star picked up the portfolio under standard orders until a Senate-confirmed officer could take the billet. That arrangement continued through September while the department reset its approach to the vice chief slot.
Personnel churn at this level complicates calendars across the Air Staff. It affects who chairs requirements boards, who signs major memos, and who manages end-of-year execution. According to defense officials, Meink and Allvin kept those internal lanes covered with designated alternates and clear tasking so working groups did not stall.
Legal and procedural backstops ensure continuity of command
Title 10 outlines how the chief of staff is appointed and sets the role’s duties. It also allows for an acting official when the office is vacant or the chief is absent. If the vice chief’s seat is open at the same time, the law points to the next senior Air Staff officers to perform the duties, unless the President directs another arrangement. Those provisions are not new. They have existed for decades and have been used before during transitions.
The immediate practical effect is straightforward. If the Senate does not vote before Allvin’s retirement date, the department can designate an acting chief under these authorities and keep signatures, tasking, and readiness reviews moving. Internal guidance and delegation memos fill any gaps that the statute does not spell out in detail. Defense officials confirm those papers are updated and ready.
The congressional process adds a separate guardrail. Once the nomination is received, the Armed Services Committee can hold a hearing and report the nomination to the floor. The Senate then votes. The timeline varies with the chamber’s schedule, but the record shows Wilsbach’s nomination reached the Senate on Sept. 29 and is queued for the Oct. 9 hearing.
Reoptimization initiatives and near-term policy signals under Meink
Allvin used 2024 and early 2025 to push a suite of organizational changes under the banner “Reoptimization for Great Power Competition.” The effort sought to streamline command relationships, stand up Air Task Forces, and re-align functions that had drifted over time. The department continued to publish updates through late September.
His August retirement announcement raised questions about how far those changes would proceed. Coverage at the time linked his decision to internal debates over whether to press ahead or pause some elements. Either way, the policy record still shows the reoptimization work as an active line, with materials posted by the department and related guidance live on official sites.
Meink’s conference remarks on Sept. 22 highlighted readiness, innovation, and clearing dated processes as priorities he wants teams to pursue. He said decisions on organizational adjustments are due within months. That aligns with a transition window in which a new chief would inherit a refined slate of actions rather than a blank page.
Leadership changes since February have forced multiple reassignments and acting arrangements in the Pentagon writ large. The service has absorbed those shocks through routine authorities and pragmatic delegation. Our analysis shows the combination of a live nomination, scheduled hearing, and statutory succession largely removes the risk of a vacuum at the top of the Air Force on or around Nov. 1.
REFERENCE SOURCES
- https://insidedefense.com/insider/three-star-general-performing-duties-air-force-vice-chief-staff-after-trump-firing
- https://www.defensenews.com/air-warfare/2025/09/22/chief-of-staffs-exit-wont-leave-gap-at-top-of-air-force-meink-says/
- https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/4278007/air-force-chief-of-staff-announces-retirement/
- https://www.airandspaceforces.com/allvin-air-force-chief-of-staff-to-retire/
- https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/4319090/gen-kenneth-wilsbach-nominated-as-24th-air-force-chief-of-staff/
- https://www.congress.gov/nomination/119th-congress/553
- https://www.armed-services.senate.gov/hearings/to-consider-the-nomination-of_general-kenneth-s-wilsbach-usaf-for-reappointment-to-the-grade-of-general–and-to-be-chief-of-staff-of-the-air-force
- https://www.airandspaceforces.com/wilsbach-next-csaf/
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- https://www.militarytimes.com/pentagon/2025/02/22/trump-fires-joint-chiefs-chairman-navy-head-in-dod-leadership-purge/
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- https://www.defensenews.com/air/2025/07/18/white-house-taps-global-strike-head-as-next-air-force-vice-chief/
- https://www.airandspaceforces.com/bussiere-retire-vice-chief-nomination-withdrawn/
- https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/10/9033
- https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/ll/uscode/uscode1982-04601/uscode1982-046010805/uscode1982-046010805.pdf
- https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/4311661/meink-stresses-innovation-focus-funding-to-maintain-air-space-superiority/
- https://www.airandspaceforces.com/watch-read-daf-leaders-re-optimizing-great-power-competition/
- https://www.jbsa.mil/News/News/Article/3764400/allvin-aligning-air-forces-approach-is-key-to-reoptimizing-for-great-power-comp/
- https://www.af.mil/Reoptimization-for-Great-Power-Competition/
