What’s Driving the Personnel Cuts: Air Force leaders point to a range of initiatives—from streamlining depot maintenance to making personnel cuts—as the means by which they can hedge enough funds to recapitalize and modernize the force. We’ve already reported that USAF plans to cut some 57,000 personnel over the next five years. Driving that reduction, said Air Force budget director Maj. Gen. Frank Faykes, is the fact that over the last 10 years personnel costs nearly doubled even though the number of personnel remained “relatively constant.”
Airmen from the California Air National Guard and Air Force Reserves brushed up on their aerial firefighting skills late last month in preparation for the 2024 wildfire season, which could see fires break out across North America.