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.
With key members of Congress wavering on the possibility of a $350 billion defense reconciliation bill, defense experts told Air & Space Forces Magazine that the Pentagon is likely drawing up budget backup plans—but such plans would face hard choices between high-end weapons and low-cost drones and other programs in…