This is news. The percentage of smokers in the military is greater than percentage in America as a whole. Some 34 percent of the military smoke, while only 25 percent of Americans smoke. At least one reason for a four percent rise in military smokers since 2002, states Col. Gerald W. Talcott with the Air Force Medical Support Agency, is the war on terror.
The Air Force has embraced new technical approaches like open mission systems and rapid software updates for cutting-edge aircraft like the B-21 and Collaborative Combat Aircraft. Increasingly, though, the service is also working to apply these to its older, “legacy” aircraft, officials said this week.