The leaders of Air Force Reserve Command’s 920th Rescue Wing at Patrick AFB, Fla., don’t bemoan the fact that they are flying some of the Air Force’s oldest aircraft—HC-130s tankers and HH-60 helicopters. Instead, they tell Norman Moody of Florida Today, that the aircraft are “still reliable” largely through the efforts of the unit’s highly experienced maintainers. Rep. Dave Weldon (R-Fla.) blames the Clinton Administration for the Air Force’s elderly fleet of aircraft, telling the newspaper that the Bush Administration and Congress “have been working to procure new aircraft.”
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.