More than 1,600 Air Force Reservists have received or will receive a waiver to stay on active duty after Sept. 30, Air Force Reserve Command said in a release Aug. 6. About four years ago, Reserve airmen through the rank of colonel received permission under changes enacted in the Fiscal 2005 defense authorization legislation to serve up to 1,095 man-days of the previous 1,460 days in a rolling four-year calendar. But a waiver is required to serve for more than 1,095 days within that period. Already AFRC headquarters has received more than 2,200 requests from Reservists wishing to stay beyond the 1,095 days. The top three specialties in which airmen are requesting waivers are security forces, civil engineering, and aerial port, AFRC said.
The Air Force has spent more than two years studying cancer risks to Airmen who work with the service's intercontinental ballistic missiles. Now lawmakers in Congress are placing fresh scrutiny on the issue and have prepared legislation that would direct the service to clean silos and launch facilities.