The Air Force is looking to consolidate its training of battlefield airmen from eight bases now to “something less,” likely three or four locations, Air Education and Training Command chief Gen. Darryl Roberson told reporters at ASC16. Roberson said that the consolidation will save money by keeping like functions together, better standardizing training and avoiding the need to send airmen to another base for the next leg of their instruction. Those shifts often cause a week-long break in training, which disrupts the rhythm of instruction, plus the airmen have to be paid for that travel time and their travel expenses, Roberson said.
Amid NATO’s continued push to ramp up air defenses in Eastern Europe, Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall swung by seven allied countries to boost relations last week, including those on Russia’s and Ukraine’s doorstep.