CMSgt. Dwight Dale Badgett, command chief for Air Force Reserve Command, said one suicide is “too many.” On average, about three Reservists a year take their own lives, but there have been two suicides just in the last month, he said. Badgett added that leaders have a responsibility to educate airmen on the opportunities that are available to them. He said: “We have to remove that stigma that we have had in the past that it’s bad to get help. We need airmen to understand that’s it’s a strength, not a weakness.” Other command chiefs participating in a panel Monday at AFA’s Air & Space Conference echoed his concerns, saying programs such as the comprehensive airmen’s fitness program attempt to ensure airmen are well rounded physically, emotionally, spiritually, and socially.
The Pentagon will no longer require civilian employees to submit a weekly list of five accomplishments from the previous week, ending a monthslong requirement that was first promoted by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a senior defense official told employees in a recent email.