Defense secretary to halt planned cuts in Air Force size

(CNN) - Defense Secretary Robert Gates will halt planned cuts in the size of the Air Force, he said Monday. The move is designed to boost morale.

The Air Force had announced a five-year plan to draw down Air Force personnel by about 40,000, to 316,000, in 2005.

While most public attention about the strain of war is focused on the Army, Gates told airmen and airwomen at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia, "you have been forward-deployed, and at war for 17 years - since the first Gulf War."

"Your families have also borne this burden, and the Air Force has its own fallen heroes - often struck down while serving on the ground alongside soldiers and Marines," he said. "We know this, and are working to ease the burden. For example, I intend immediately to stop further reductions in Air Force personnel."

–From Jamie McIntyre, CNN Senior Pentagon Correspondent, and Laurie Ure, Pentagon Producer