The Air Force has merged two “overlapping specialties”—aircrew life support and survival equipment—into one new one, the aircrew flight equipment career field, reports TSgt. Parker Gyokeres. Airmen in these fields will undergo two months of cross utilization training before becoming qualified in the different field. Once done, the Air Force would double its deployment-capable pool. Previously, airmen serving in survival equipment did not deploy, while those in life support were considered over-stressed.
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.
