The Air National Guard’s 167th Airlift Wing at Martinsburg, W.Va., is having no problem filling the extra slots created when the wing transitioned from the C-130 tactical airlifter to the mammoth C-5 strategic airlifter. The unit flew its first C-5 operational mission in April. West Virginia Metro News reports that the wing is slated to reach full operational capability by spring 2009, but the unit already has half its new manpower slots filled. The unit has been recruiting for less than two months. MSgt. Dan Jenkins, recruiting supervisor, said, “It’s all about the attitude, the people, the great working environment, the new buildings, new planes. You bring that and you’re kind of like that “Field of Dreams.” You build it, [and] they will come.”
Questioned by lawmakers on the state of the Air Force's maintenance depots, Vice Chief of Staff Gen. James C. "Jim" Slife said April 30 that the service is investing in IT and data infrastructure to better sustain new software-intensive platforms—while acknowledging that there is still work to be done to…