O
n Oct. 1, the Air National Guard is likely to fall short of its end strength target for the fourth consecutive year, Lt. Gen. Craig McKinley, ANG chief, said yesterday. The shortfall is minor, though—about one percent. McKinley said at AFA’s Air & Space Conference in Washington that the target is 107,000 Air Guardsmen, but the component currently has 105,892 airmen on its rolls. This is OK, he said, because the Guard will not lower its standards just to fill out a few more positions.
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.