SSgt. Paul Haigh with the 15th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron at Hickam AFB, Hawaii, expects to be the first of Hickam’s C-17 aircrew members to reach 1,000 flying hours. He expects to hit the 1,000-hour mark this week on a mission that will take his aircraft from Hawaii to Japan, from Japan to Alaska, from Alaska to Nevada, and Nevada back to Hickam. That’s a lot of hours for one person in a unit that received its first C-17 in February 2006.
The Air Force is requesting about $141 million for initial enlistment bonuses in its fiscal 2026 budget, while Space Force wants $13 million.