Duckworth Discusses Future Of U.S. Military Airpower At The Hill’s Future Of Defense Event

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), a member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, joined The Hill’s Bob Cusack to discuss the future of airpower in our nation’s national defense strategy and military readiness. In her remarks, Duckworth highlighted the need to fund and encourage innovation and diverse ideas across all types of industry. A full video of the Future of Defense event can be found here.

“Innovation is key to remaining competitive with our rivals and making sure the airpower in our military is ready for the next fight—and our nation is far more innovative than any other nation on the face of the earth,” said Duckworth. “To best prepare airpower for tomorrow, we must search for diverse ideas across all types of industries, be open-minded to incorporating them and have the processes in place to do so. I’ll continue to do everything I can to make sure Congress supports our military readiness by putting our engineers, pilots, servicemembers, industry partners and anyone who enables tomorrow’s airpower first.”

Duckworth is an Iraq War Veteran who served in the Reserve Forces for 23 years before retiring from military service in 2014 at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. She is a Purple Heart recipient and one of the first handful of Army women to fly combat missions during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

More like this:

Duckworth Urges Congress to Expand VA Care for Veterans Exposed to Toxic Hazards

2 days ago

Duckworth Introduces Bill to Cover Iran War Veterans Under PACT Act

3 days ago

Duckworth Urges Trump To End Iran War As U.S. Withdraws From Iraq

Oct 1, 2026

USDA Hires More Than 240 Veterans and Military Spouses, Announces Gold Star Trails Program

2 days ago

Duckworth, Boozman Lead Bill To Enhance Support Of Women Veterans

Sep 26, 2026