The military services continue to bring in the requisite number or more of enlisted accessions as the data from the Pentagon’s August tally show. (Last month’s data here.) The only component that was below—very slightly—its August goal was the Army Reserve. The Air National Guard reported gaining 179 more recruits than it planned. The Air Force Reserve Command recruited 136 percent of its goal of 537 enlisted airmen, adding a remarkable eighth consecutive year to its record of besting its annual goals, AFRC officials reported last week. The active Air Force also met its goal for the month of August.
It'll take up to 18 months for Lockheed Martin to deliver the 100 or so F-35s that went directly from production line to storage, awaiting the completion of Tech Refresh 3 testing. Customers haven't complained about the order in which the backlog is being delivered.