When 2nd Lt. Madison Marsh became the first ever active service member crowned Miss America on Jan. 14, top Air Force officials recognized a rare opportunity to reach women and girls who otherwise might not consider military service as an option.
Personnel
An effort at Cannon Air Force Base, N.M., to bring in medical specialists from afar seems to be paying off, with families driving less and requesting fewer travel vouchers to access care.
The Air Force recently expanded its waiver tolerances for asthma, food allergies, and hearing loss. The move should bring in between 600 and 1,000 more recruits a year, though they would be restricted from certain jobs or duty stations.
Space Training and Readiness Command boss Maj. Gen. Timothy A. Sejba said he is expanding and improving on the service’s Space Flag environment to prepare Guardians for great power competition.
Two dozen KC-135 crew members from multiple bases received the Distinguished Flying Cross for refueling the fighters that shot down 80 Iranian drones and missiles bound for Israel on April 13.
Space Force leaders are contemplating separating out the service’s boot camp from the Air Force and moving it to a new location.
The Air Force is scaling up the Joint Simulation Environment to enable large-scale mission training possible for F-35 and other combat pilots at bases all over the country and even overseas.
Senate and House lawmakers released their compromise 2025 National Defense Authorization bill on Dec. 7—the proposed legislation would give a 14.5 percent pay raise to junior enlisted Airmen and Guardians and prohibit the Air Force from retiring any F-15E or F-22 fighters.
The Air Force’s first new warrant officers in 66 years graduated Dec. 6 at a ceremony at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., the inaugural class of the new Warrant Officer Training School.
