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.
The Pentagon has concluded a new agreement to buy laser-guidance kits that turn rockets into drone-killing weapons. BAE Systems and the Defense Department announced a framework deal of up to seven years for 25,000 Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System guidance kits annually for the U.S. military.