The Quadrennial Defense Review replaces the official force-sizing standard-in effect since 1993-that said the armed forces should be prepared to fight two Major Theater Wars almost simultaneously. (In reality, the forces were never sized or funded to meet that standard.) The new standard is called “4-2-1″: The force should be sized to deter aggression in four critical theaters (Europe, Northeast Asia, the East Asia littoral, Middle East/Southwest Asia), defeat aggression in any two theaters at the same time, and preserve the option for one major counteroffensive. The new standard is more demanding, especially of air and space power, than the old one was.
Trainees in Basic Military Training and technical school no longer have the option to try alternate PT drills if they fail an initial assessment, according to a policy change the Air Force made in April. The move is part of a larger shift out of the classroom and into hands-on,…