The Air Force plans by Oct. 1 to consolidate force support courses at Maxwell AFB, Ala., moving 14 courses from the Air Force Institute of Technology at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, to join similar courses already taught in Alabama. Some courses are already underway at their new location, Air University’s Eaker Center for Professional Development. The 14 transferred courses include force support leadership, five force support flight commander/chief courses, mortuary affairs, mortuary technician, protocol fundamentals, operations officer, and four force support contingency courses. Part of the impetus for this move was the service’s recent merger of the services career field with the manpower and personnel career field. The new consolidated school will serve approximately 1,000 in-residence and approximately 2,500 distance learning students each year. (Air Force Personnel Center report by 2nd Lt. Vaccaro McKeen)
The $4.26 billion Small Business Innovation Research contracting program widely used by the Air Force went into hibernation as the government shut down Oct. 1, but unless lawmakers strike a deal on reforms, the program could reach an abrupt end.


