Unanimous approval by state governors and adjutant generals greeted the new DOD policy changes limiting mobilization periods to 12 months, instead of the current 16 to 24 month terms, for Guard and Reserve units, according to a Jan. 17 National Guard Bureau release. New Defense Secretary Robert Gates unveiled the reserve policy changes last week following President Bush’s speech on the new Iraq plan. Earlier this week, Pentagon reserve affairs chief, Thomas Hall said during an in-house interview, “We have come to the conclusion that based on numerous in puts, that 18 to 21 months over a long war, over a career, is just too much.”
The last remaining T-1 Jayhawk at JBSA-Randolph, Texas, took its final flight to the "Boneyard" at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., on July 15. The 99th Flying Training Squadron will train pilots using T-6 and simulator until it gets T-7 Red Hawk in fiscal 2026.