The 
Air Force’s Active Duty component met its numerical recruiting accession goals through April, the seventh month of Fiscal 2012, according to the Pentagon’s newest recruiting data, released on May 22. The Active Duty force brought in 16,309 accessions, exactly matching its fiscal-year-to-date goal. The Air National Guard attracted 4,893 new recruits through April, 14 more than its target. Rounding out the Total Force, the Air Force Reserve met its fiscal-year-to-date goal by accepting 5,013 new accessions, show the Defense Department’s figures. All of the other services’ Active Duty forces met or exceeded their year-to-date targets. Across their reserve components, only the Army National Guard did not meet or exceed its recruiting goal through April. (See also our coverage of March’s recruiting numbers.)
Loved Ones Mourn 6 Airmen Killed in KC-135 Crash
March 16, 2026
Tributes to the six crew members that died in the KC-135 Stratotanker crash in Iraq have flooded social media since the Pentagon released their identities March 14. They were the first Airmen to die while supporting Operation Epic Fury against Iran.