A panel of command chiefs fielded questions from enlisted and officers alike yesterday at AFA’s Air & Space Conference in Washington. Asked what advice they would give to enlisted airmen contemplating applying for a college degree and seeking officer status, Air Mobility Command Chief Master Sergeant Joseph Barron Jr. said he would advise an airman to pursue a college degree, but he would say hold off on applying for an officer slot until the personnel changes associated with the force-shaping effort simmer down. He and other chiefs noted that they’ve faced the situation of having to cut second lieutenants with prior enlisted service to meet previous force-shaping requirements.
Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall doesn’t see great value in trying to break the Sentinel ICBM program off as a separate budget item the way the Navy has with its ballistic-missile submarine program, saying such a move wouldn’t create any new money for the Air Force to spend on other…