The Air Force gave 50 junior enlisted airmen the opportunity to remain on Active Duty after personnel officials discovered that a coding issue might have affected their retention eligibility, according to a release. “As an institution, we seek the most responsible and just course of action to make things right for our airmen,” said Lt. Gen. Sam Cox, deputy chief of staff for manpower, personnel, and services. The Junior Enlisted Retention Board held in June did not select these 50 airmen for retention, states the Oct. 24 release. However, after a review prompted by an airmen’s inquiry, personnel officials came upon the coding issue and realized that it may have affected their outcomes. At the same time, the officials identified 36 airmen who should have come before the board but did not and thus were not considered for separation. “We contacted the 50 airmen and their senior raters to offer them the opportunity to remain on Active Duty,” explained Brig. Gen. Brian Kelly, director of force management policy. “In addition, the 36 airmen who were eligible for and should have met the board will not be affected,” he said.
While the Space Force is still making long-term plans to establish high-fidelity live and virtual test and training ranges in the coming years, officials say they're also working with operators to identify near-term gaps and quickly field capabilities to address them.
