The Air Force has resumed its force management programs following a strategic pause initiated earlier this month, announced service officials. “After providing senior leadership a chance to evaluate the programs and assess our early progress, we are ready to resume immediate processing of voluntary applications in most categories and begin notifying airmen of their status,” said Lt. Gen. Sam Cox, deputy chief of staff for manpower, personnel, and services, in the service’s March 15 release. “We expect to receive final approval authorities early [this] week for a select few categories, like rated and health professions, at which point we will be actively processing all voluntary applications,” he said. Previously announced force management boards would proceed as currently scheduled, said Cox. These activities are necessary as the service draws down its endstrength to deal with tightening budgets and still modernize. Analysis during the pause revealed the need to include a second round of force management programs in 2015, in addition to the first round this year, states the release.
The Pentagon needs a Digital Command and a Digital Warfare Corps, along with other changes, to take advantage of critical new technologies, according to a think tank founded by former Google CEO and Chairman Eric Schmidt.
