Review Panel Praises Expanded Training: The Air Force’s 22nd basic military training triennial review committee has validated the positive effect that expanded BMT has had on graduates. “We’re very pleased [with] the warrior ethos that has been instilled in our airmen,” said CMSAF James Roy, one of the committee members. The panel met May 12-14 at Lackland AFB, Tex., home of enlisted BMT. This was the panel’s first review since BMT was expanded by two weeks to 8.5 weeks in November 2008 and the basic expeditionary airman skills training course was added. Col. William Mott, commander of Lackland’s 37th Training Wing, said these changes are making a difference in producing quality airmen. Indeed, trainees are given a skill set that they “can directly transfer to their first duty station,” he said. (Lackland report by Mike Joseph)
A semi-autonomous Collaborative Combat Aircraft drone shot down an air-to-air target in a Dec. 8 test supported by the U.S. Air Force, a notable milestone in the development of the loyal wingman-type drones that will join the fleets of the USAF, other American services, and allies and adversaries.
