The Government Accountability Office said the US military has failed to outline a clear path to rebuilding readiness. While acknowledging that the services had submitted plans for rebuilding readiness, the Sept. 7 report noted, “these strategies have been incomplete or not comprehensive and, in many cases, have not fully identified the resources required to achieve the goals the strategies support.” In the case of the Air Force, GAO found that fighter and bomber squadrons have seen “a 58 percent decrease from 1991 levels,” and “the Air Force does not expect to recover readiness prior to 2020.” The report recommends that the DOD “establish comprehensive readiness rebuilding goals,” including “metrics for measuring interim progress,” and “identify external factors that may impact readiness recovery plans.” The latter include the instability of Defense Department funding through years of sequestration and continuing resolutions, the report noted. (See also: The Readiness Conundrum from the June 2016 issue of Air Force Magazine.)
Unit commanders are being told to separate service members who can’t shave their cheeks and chin for medical reasons for more than a year, according to new guidance from Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.
