Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said Friday that the Air Force “is not just off on a strange mission” to eliminate some 40,000 personnel over the next five years. Rumsfeld was responding to a question about the planned cut and its impact on the war on terror during a Pentagon town hall meeting. He said that both the Navy and Air Force are investing in less manpower intensive weaponry, making it possible to cut personnel where “costs [are] going up and up and up.” And, said Rumsfeld, the Air Force vetted its plan with senior Pentagon leadership, which agreed that it “seemed to make sense.” Hmmmm.
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.