Sequestration’s Effect on the ARTs: Due to the fact that the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve rely on the support of air reserve technicians—who are federal civil servants even though they are in uniform—the reserve components will feel the effects of budget sequestration sooner rather than later when the Pentagon’s planned furloughs of its civilian employees kick in later this spring, said the heads of both components on Tuesday. For example, ARTs play an important role on the Air Guard’s modernization programs as software engineers and their absence under the furloughs will hamper those efforts, Lt. Gen. Stanley Clarke told the House Armed Services Committee’s tactical air and land forces panel on March 19. Clarke is set to officially become Air Guard director on March 22. Lt. Gen. James Jackson, Air Force Reserve Command boss, said his command’s full-time support would also take a hit as the ARTs are critical for the component’s aircraft operation and sustainment activities. Beyond that effect, the Air Guard and Reserve face a nine-percent cut in the National Guard and Reserve Equipment Account, which will curtail their modernization activities, impacting initiatives like C-130 upgrades and procuring targeting pods for F-16s, they said. (Clarke’s written testimony) (Jackson’s prepared statement)
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.