It’s well established that the Air National Guard operates some of the oldest airplanes in the Air Force’s inventory and faces hardware challenges ahead to maintain its capabilities in mission areas like air sovereignty alert. However, equally important, if not more so, is maintaining the vast wealth of knowledge and experience resident among the Air Guard ranks, said Lt. Gen. Bud Wyatt, Air National Guard director. “We have a tendency to focus on the equipment. But I think our real focus should be on our people,” Wyatt told the Senate Appropriations Committee’s defense panel during a recent oversight hearing. He added, “If we don’t focus on our people, we’ll find out one of these days that we have allowed our capabilities to atrophy.” (See also Wyatt’s prepared testimony.)
Pentagon Releases Cost of Living, BAH Rates for 2026
Dec. 30, 2025
The Pentagon will pay cost of living allowances to 127,000 service members in the continental U.S. in 2026, an increase of 66,000 members in 2025. Airmen and Guardians across the U.S. will also receive an average increase of 4.2 percent for their Basic Housing Allowance, compared to the 5.4 percent…
