Rep. Ike Skelton (D-Mo.), incoming chair for the House Armed Services Committee, told reporters in a post-election conference call that the US military is losing senior captains and junior majors, who, he said, are “bailing out early.“ The losses appear to be mostly in the Army. Skelton signaled that he plans to focus some of his committee’s efforts on what he sees as a growing retention problem, one that has significant long-term impact.
Air Force depots are not typically meant for quick repair jobs, but during Operation Epic Fury, the service moved some of its stateside heavy maintenance capability forward to fix battle-damaged aircraft closer to the fight.
