According to ACC chief Keys, the Air Force could not have too many Predator unmanned aerial vehicles. “If you had 1,000 of them, I don’t think you’d have enough,” said Keys. One thing that makes the Predator increasingly important is that it evolved from a purely intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance platform to an ISR plus strike capability, with the addition of Hellfire missiles. Keys believes that pairing UAVs with Guard and Reserve airmen is a perfect match, because so much of the UAV operation could be handled at their home stations.
Airmen and Guardians in the Active and Reserve component, as well as civilian employees, in “mission critical and high-risk populations” are now required to receive influenza vaccinations annually to “preserve force readiness,” according to a recent Department of the Air Force memo.