Airmen will soon see “combat skills training” added to their specialty technical training, Lt. Gen. Dennis Larsen, vice chief of Air Education and Training Command, said earlier this week. Meeting with reporters at Bolling AFB, D.C., Larsen explained that the Air Force is discovering that the time added to basic training to teach small arms and infantry tactics isn’t enough. He said the Air Force is worried “they may have forgotten it by the time they get through” with their follow-on specialty training in maintenance, fuels, etc. AETC will soon add fighting refreshers to all tech-training courses, he said.
An F-16 Fighting Falcon assigned to the Texas Air National Guard’s 149th Fighter Wing crashed during a training mission in Michigan on Sept. 17. The fighter's sole pilot ejected and is in stable condition at a local hospital.
