2023 USAF & USSF Almanac: USAF Major Commands and Reserve Components

Air Force senior leaders may have recently cut back on the number of required annual inspections, but they are now requiring units to undergo separate, surprise readiness inspections that will hold commanders accountable for their outfit’s combat readiness, acting Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Scott L. Pleus…

Poor event planning and staffing contributed to a fatal mishap last April at Kadena Air Base, Japan, when rotor wash from an HH-60W helicopter knocked over a Japanese teacher from a Department of Defense Education Activity school attending a public aerial demonstration, according to an Air Force investigation.

The Pentagon released its new National Defense Strategy late Jan. 23, emphasizing a new commitment to the Western Hemisphere. But while that focus garnered most of the headlines, the strategy’s subtle shifts on China raise questions about how the Trump administration aims to leverage U.S. military power in the Indo-Pacific.

The Air Force is revising once again its deployment model, scrapping its plans for "deployable combat wings" and revamping the Air Expeditionary Wing with a new AEW 2.0 model.

Second Air Force officials plan to inject more realism in Basic Military Training this year by building two mock airfields where Airmen will get hands-on training with real combat aircraft.