The Air Force intends to introduce hand-to-hand combatives training into basic military training within the next three years, said CMSAF James Roy Wednesday during AFA’s Air & Space Conference. The recommendation came from a BMT review panel, which was held in Texas last spring. Trainees are already using pugil sticks, a training technique Roy said is “quite effective.” It’s not yet clear, though, exactly when the combatives training will be implemented or what it will look like. Airmen coming out of Officer Training School, the Reserve Officer Training Corps, and the Air Force Academy receive a 10-hour block of instruction in hand-to-hand combat techniques, but Roy said the panel decided it was important to not just assign an arbitrary number to the BMT training. Roy said: “We need to continue to evolve our warrior ethos. We are modeling this for basic training, but where it will go in the future. I don’t know. It’s one we will continue to pay close attention too.”
The six-week government shutdown did not affect the hours flown by Air Force pilots, a service spokesperson told Air & Space Forces Magazine—avoiding what could have been a major blow at a time when flying hours are already lower than they have been in decades.
