The Air Force has reworked the evaluation system used to determine if an airmen is physically and mentally capable of performing nuclear-related duties, according to a Feb. 27 release. Officials rewrote the Personnel Reliability Program manual to eliminate need for base-level add-ons and to clarify standards for judging an airmen’s physical, emotional, and mental fitness for duty, states the release. Everyone on a nuclear base “is tied into PRP monitoring, from our commander’s and supervisors, to the medical professionals and personnel agencies to a member’s peers and each individual on PRP,” explained Col. Zannis Pappas, nuclear operations career field manager. According to an internal assessment, PRP covered 12,000 airmen force-wide in 2012, demanding nearly 38,000 hours of base-level administrative work, according to the release. The program overhaul was prompted by the Air Force’s 2012 internal study, as well as a follow-on review by the defense acquisition, technology, and logistics undersecretary, according to the release.
The new defense reconciliation bill includes $7.2 billion for Air Force and Navy aviation accounts, almost half of which will buy more F-15EXs. While electronic warfare, drones, connectivity and airlift all get attention, the F-35 was conspicuously absent from the package, with no explanation given.