Air National Guard boss Lt. Gen. Harry Wyatt III wants to see the creation of more associate pairings of his units with their active duty and Air Force Reserve Command counterparts that go beyond the changes already being instituted under BRAC 2005 as part of USAF’s Total Force Integration. “We need to continue doing that,” he said in a speech last week before the Minuteman Institute for National Defense Studies in Washington, D.C. On Oct. 1, three of the newest Air Guard associations formally stood up in Alabama, Illinois, and New Hampshire to operate KC-135 tankers with active duty units. Wyatt said since new weapons systems are capable of around-the-clock operations, as opposed to more limited cycles, manpower becomes the limiting factor. The Air Guard’s involvement could be pivotal in exploiting these systems to their full potential, he said. (NGB report by MSgt. Mike R. Smith)
Airmen and Guardians in the Active and Reserve component, as well as civilian employees, in “mission critical and high-risk populations” are now required to receive influenza vaccinations annually to “preserve force readiness,” according to a recent Department of the Air Force memo.