Airmen should take pride in all they accomplished in 2014, said CMSAF James Cody in December’s edition of Roll Call, issued on Monday. “The year has seen many achievements and just as many challenges,” he wrote. “You have consistently met them with honor, humility, and resilience,” he noted. Among the feats that “merely scratch the surface” of the complete list, airmen helped make the Afghan air force sustainable, push back ISIS terrorist forces in Iraq and Syria, and contain the spread of the Ebola virus in West Africa, said Cody. They also endured “big losses” of colleagues due to force management programs, introduced the Airman Comprehensive Assessment, invigorated the nuclear enterprise, and improved professional military education through blended learning, he said. They also launched the Airman Powered by Innovation program and changed enlisted performance reports and the Weighted Airman Promotion System, said Cody. “From top to bottom, our airmen have made strides to grow leaner, faster, and stronger,” he wrote. “You are our greatest asset and strength, and we couldn’t be prouder of each and every one of you,” he added. (See also our coverage of November’s Roll Call.)
Anduril and General Atomics will develop their Collaborative Combat Aircraft for the Air Force, beating out Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman, the service announced on April 24. But any of the non-selected companies can compete to actually manufacture the eventual design, the Air Force said.