Air Force leaders plan to employ two new force-shaping tools to help reduce the enlisted force as it struggles to pare 40,000 personnel from its books over the next three years. The service will rollback dates of separation for airmen who are ineligible to re-enlist, booting them out the door by March 15. The airmen in this group will have less than 14 years of service or more than 20. The second new tool is a limited waiver of time for retirement-eligible master and technical sergeants that are serving in overage career fields. Under this waiver, they can skip some time commitments and retire by Sept. 1.
Lt. Gen. Dan Caine, nominee to be chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the Senate Armed Services Committee that the Defense Department needs to upgrade its electronic warfare capability and its EW training ranges; just as his predecessor said at his own confirmation hearing.