The Air Force has just posted the latest lists showing the number of officers who are in the reduction in force vulnerability zone for 2007. There are two target year groups for majors—1995 and 1996—and two for captains—2000 and 2001. The service has identified 392 majors in the 1995 group that are RIF eligible and plans to separate 95, eliminating them in varying numbers from 12 career fields. For 1996, there are 260 RIF eligible, with 67 to be cut from 10 career fields. For 2000, the service identified 968 captains as RIF vulnerable and plans to cut 173. For 2001, the numbers are 1,421 and 387. (The numbers by career field can be seen in these charts.) Last month, the service said it would hold a RIF board in June. That probably stands, even though service leaders now say they are rethinking whether USAF can afford to cut 40,000 personnel as originally planned.
When Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Air Force Gen. Dan Caine described the 150 aircraft used in Operation Absolute Resolve, the mission to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, he referenced many by name, including the F-35 and F-22 fighters and B-1 bomber. Not specified, however, were “remotely piloted drones,” among them a secretive aircraft spotted and photographed returning to Puerto…
