The Air Force definitely is not cutting enlisted aviator career fields—at least not in the near future—because the service says it’s short. USAF officials are encouraging airmen who may be in vulnerable career fields to cross train as boom operators, flight engineers, loadmasters, airborne mission systems, airborne battle management, flight attendants, aerial gunners, and airborne cryptology linguists. It needs to fill these jobs now.
Trainees in Basic Military Training and technical school no longer have the option to try alternate PT drills if they fail an initial assessment, according to a policy change the Air Force made in April. The move is part of a larger shift out of the classroom and into hands-on,…