The Air Force’s top doctor, Lt. Gen. James Roudebush, says the Air Force is facing “major challenges” in its medical arena. He told lawmakers last week that the drive to become ever more efficient has caused the USAF medical force “to programmatically reduce our operating platforms and take risks in areas we’d prefer not take risk.” Roudebush declared that “a significant and sustained shortfall” in military construction funding has produced “much older, much less efficient, and much more costly facilities.” He also pointed to an “increasingly difficult” recruiting and retention environment and trouble in “finding the right balance” for military to civilian personnel conversions. However, despite these dire warnings, Roudebush maintained that the Air Force medics, “at the end of the day,” continue to provide “world-class health care.”
An important U.S. Air Force E-3 Sentry AWACS command and control plane was among the aircraft damaged in a March 27 Iranian missile and drone attack on Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia, people familiar with the matter told Air & Space Forces Magazine.