Prompted by Rep. Walter Jones (R-N.C.) to explain what is meant by the forthcoming “Air Guard reset,” Lt. Gen. Craig McKinley, ANG director, noted that “it’s a term we’ve never used before in the Air National Guard.” He went on to explain that the Air Guard is in the midst of a “radical transformation” based on the Air Force need to restructure and downsize. Consequently, the Air Guard must look for new missions to replace “missions that have sunset and gone away,” said McKinley. At the same time, he added, ANG decided to rebalance its wings, some of which “had grown at the expense of other states,” and “fix the books” to ensure all remaining programs were “adequately funded.” McKinley concluded, “So you put all those factors together—that is what we call our reset.”
Airmen and Guardians in the Active and Reserve component, as well as civilian employees, in “mission critical and high-risk populations” are now required to receive influenza vaccinations annually to “preserve force readiness,” according to a recent Department of the Air Force memo.