Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne says that the Air Force is beginning to put pressure on the Army to stop using airmen “in lieu of” soldiers. He already is on record saying that “every airman a rifleman” doesn’t work over the long haul because it takes airmen away from their primary missions. Wynne also notes the monetary cost associated with continued ILO taskings, telling lawmakers last week that sending missile technicians to serve as interrogators means that USAF no longer has missile technicians when they return because the service has to retrain them. He said that can take a year and a half. He noted that snow plow operators from Minot AFB, N.D., are driving convoys in Southwest Asia, so USAF has to contract for snow plow operators.
Members of the House Armed Services Committee say the AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile program has been set back three months due to the ongoing government shutdown. The comment is noteworthy because the JATM's status has been kept tightly under wraps.
