The Pentagon has just unveiled its new Joint Qualification System, which all the services will embrace come Oct. 1. The basic difference between this new system and the current Joint Officer Management System is that it awards points for “experience” in joint operations rather than simply considering joint professional military education and specified joint assignments. For instance, under the old system an Army officer who served for 19 months in the Multi-National Force-Iraq under an Air Force boss, supervising military personnel other services and from other countries would receive no automatic joint credit. And, the new system designates different points for different types of experience—it accounts for “the intensity, environment, and duration/frequency of each joint activity,” awarding more points for combat. The new system also incorporates reserve officers, who can earn the same joint credit as their active duty counterparts. However, the new system does not eliminate the “traditional path,” instead it adds the “experience path” to attain the status of joint qualified officer. The experience path officers still must attend PME to reach succeeding levels, and to attain four-star rank after Oct. 1, 2008 they must have served in a designated joint duty assignment. (DOD briefing transcript and briefing slides.)
The last remaining T-1 Jayhawk at JBSA-Randolph, Texas, took its final flight to the "Boneyard" at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., on July 15. The 99th Flying Training Squadron will train pilots using T-6 and simulator until it gets T-7 Red Hawk in fiscal 2026.