The employment of the new C-130J model Hercules in Southwest Asia is not new—the Air National Guard first flew the J there in fall 2004, beginning a 20-month field test—but the 41st Airlift Squadron has become the first active duty J model unit to deploy. And, the Little Rock AFB, Ark. unit has been operating J models for less than a year. “We stood up two squadrons, people, and airplanes, and deployed in 10 months,” said Lt. Col. Dan Tulley, 41st AS commander. The 41st moved to Little Rock from Pope AFB, N.C., where it flew older model Hercules.
A provision in the fiscal 2025 defense policy bill will require the Defense Department to include the military occupational specialty of service members who die by suicide in its annual report on suicide deaths, though it remains to be seen how much data the department will actually disclose.