Colonels and lieutenant colonels who would rather retire on their own than face the upcoming Selective Early Retirement Board need to get cracking. The Air Force Personnel Center says it needs retirement papers by Dec. 15. The SERB, which meets Jan. 8, is one of the force-shaping tools USAF is employing to shave 40,000 personnel from its ranks over the next three years. As of Nov. 27—the most current data—the Air Force has identified some 730 SERB -eligible officers. A USAF spokesman told Daily Report Monday that the service expects to “SERB” about 200 officers.
The Air Force displayed all the firepower it has amassed on Okinawa in an unusually diverse show of force this week. IIn a May 6 “Elephant Walk,” Kadena Air Base showcased 24 F-35A Lightning II stealth fighters, eight F-15E Strike Eagles; two U.S. Army Patriot anti-missile batteries near the runway; and…