The Senate on Thursday confirmed Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach by voice vote to serve as the next chief of staff of the U.S. Air Force.
Wilsbach, nominated for the position in September, succeeds Gen. David Allvin, who unexpectedly retired midway through his four-year term. Allvin’s final day in office was Nov. 1. A date for Wilsbach’s swearing-in has not yet been announced.
Wilsbach has served in the Air Force for more than four decades. He most recently led Air Combat Command at Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Virginia until August.
Before leading Air Combat Command, Wilsbach served as commander of Pacific Air Forces, air component commander for U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, and executive director of Pacific Air Combat Operations Staff at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii.
One of Wilsbach’s top priorities will be retaining the Air Force’s cyber talent, according to comments he made during his nomination hearing last month.
“The Air Force doesn’t have a recruiting shortfall for [cyber],” Wilsbach stated in his written responses to advance policy questions ahead of his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee. “However, we do have challenges in the training and retaining areas.”
To address these issues, Wilsbach outlined a multipronged strategy focused on financial incentives, career development, and modernized training. The Air Force is implementing consecutive operational tours to improve continuity and team performance and has reintroduced warrant officer positions in cyber and IT fields to strengthen technical leadership.
Wilsbach also stressed the need to bolster cybersecurity across the Air Force, warning that without stronger safeguards, critical networks and weapons systems remain vulnerable to attack. He also called for cybersecurity to be integrated into new systems from the design phase, with stronger performance metrics, scenario-based planning, and risk-based investment strategies.