A provision of the defense appropriations bill that would take the housing allowance away from the junior member of a military couple is “fundamentally unfair” and would be a major hit to military compensation, Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James said Monday at ASC15. The proposal “just doesn’t make any sense,” Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh agreed. “Benefits should come to the individual, they’ve each earned it,” he said. James said the proposal would also take BAH away from one member of non-married couples or pairs who live together off base. Welsh added the Air Force must continue to invest in core family support programs, and should expand the investment in childcare centers. “This is the one area that affects more people than anything else in our Air Force,” he said.
Airmen and Guardians in the Active and Reserve component, as well as civilian employees, in “mission critical and high-risk populations” are now required to receive influenza vaccinations annually to “preserve force readiness,” according to a recent Department of the Air Force memo.