Considering all the negative hype over DOD’s new National Security Personnel System, the fact that nearly two-thirds of the guinea pigs at Tinker AFB, Okla., received “threes” on the NSPS five-point scale is a welcome relief. The Washington Post reports that 69 percent of the 2,500 Tinker civilian employees rated under an NSPS trial run got a “three” and that makes them “valued performers.” That rating also would give each the maximum annual pay raise, but this was just a test.
The Air Force plans to start buying thousands of advanced new handheld radios in 2027 for downed aircrew to communicate with search-and-rescue forces, a capability spotlighted earlier this year during the recovery of two aviators shot down in Iran.