Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph Dunford was asked during Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on why the Pentagon decided to omit aerial refueling capability from the new Air Force One – based on the Boeing 747-8.
By Ave Maria Mõistlikderivative work: Altair78 (talk)derivative work: Altair78 (Boeing_747-8F_render_in_flight.jpg) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons
Dunford explained to Sen. Tom Cotton that the decision was taken by the White House and not the Air Force. He cited fiscal constrains of the program for the decision.