The Air Force’s three components continued to meet their respective recruiting goals through the end of March, the halfway point for Fiscal 2013, according to the Defense Department’s newest recruiting statistics. The service’s Active Duty component brought in 13,989 accessions through March, matching its fiscal-year-to-date goal, states the Pentagon’s May 2 release with the figures. Similarly, the Air National Guard accepted 4,875 accessions, reaching its target. The Air Force Reserve attracted 3,685 recruits through March, also matching its goal. Across the sister services, only the Army Reserve did not meet or exceed its numerical accession goal at the fiscal year’s halfway point, falling short by 1,501 accessions, states the release. Last month, Lt. Gen. Stanley Clarke, ANG director, told lawmakers that while the Air Guard has been meeting its accession goals this fiscal year, it still has fallen below its congressionally authorized end strength due to lower than anticipated retention in certain career fields. (See also our coverage of February’s recruiting numbers.)
Members of the House Armed Services Committee say the AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile program has been set back three months due to the ongoing government shutdown. The comment is noteworthy because the JATM's status has been kept tightly under wraps.
