In light of cost curbs and efficiencies first put forward under former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, Air Education and Training Command has made several adjustments to operations, trimming funds for recruiting advertising and marketing, combining certain developmental education efforts, and cutting back on publications. Even flying hours have not been spared. “All of us have reduced the cost of our operations from last year—we have had to make some adjustments,” said AETC’s Gen. Edward Rice in a meeting with reporters Monday at AFA’s Air & Space Conference. Flying hours for training have also been reduced in the last few years, with some training shifting to high fidelity simulators. In other cases, AETC is taking a close look at the flight training curriculum itself and deciding whether technology or other means would allow the command to change how certain curriculums are run. However, Rice added, “We believe it’s important to maintain a very strong training base as we reduce our portfolio in some areas.”
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. still “believes” in his mantra of “Accelerate Change or Lose”—and indicated the doctrinal changes it produced when he was Air Force Chief of Staff played a role in the service’s recent response to Iran’s aerial assault on Israel, he…