Brig. Gen. Mike Callan, vice commander of 17th Air Force (Air Forces Africa), led a USAF delegation to Mali and Senegal in late October to meet with senior officials from those nation’s air forces and get a first-hand look at their capabilities. “It’s important for us to hear directly from the host nation what their priorities are as we work to develop a sustained engagement strategy,” said Callan. He said the common theme is their desire for assistance in increasing their capacity in the air domain—for example better air mobility capability—and in developing a corps of professional officers and noncommissioned officers. The US is already developing a 10-year assistance plan for Mali, which seeks enhanced aircraft maintenance and logistics systems, better interoperability with the US and regional partners, and a further professionalization of its defense forces. (Kaolack, Senegal, report by Maj. Paula Kurtz)
The Department of the Air Force is limiting medical shaving profiles to a maximum of six months, down from the previous limit of five years, and will soon require Airmen and Guardians with profiles issued in the last 10 months to be reevaluated as part of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s…
