Air Force Materiel Command boss Gen. Donald Hoffman kicked off the Year of Continuing Education. “This year, I challenge each of you to take the next step in your personal intellectual pursuits, whether that means progressing towards your undergraduate or graduate degree, a certification, professional military education, or other developmental goal,” wrote Hoffman in a message to the command’s airmen on Jan. 6 introducing the initiative. This year’s campaign builds on 2011’s Year of the Community College of the Air Force that set the goal of boosting the number of airmen in the command with CCAF degrees by 10 percent, but actually yielded a 23 percent gain. This year’s goal also is increasing the number of various degrees and certifications across AFMC by 10 percent. “Effective airmen and Air Force civilians continue to learn throughout their careers,” said Hoffman. (Wright-Patterson report by Kim Dawley) (Year of Continuing Education webpage)
The U.S., South Korea, and Japan flew an unusual trilateral flight with two U.S. B-52H Stratofortress bombers escorted by two Japan Air Self-Defense Force F-2s, and two ROK Air Force KF-16 fighters—both countries’ respective variants of the F-16—July 11. That same weekend, the top military officers of the three nations…