The Air Force is establishing a formal training unit for aeromedical evacuation at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, co-located with its School of Aerospace Medicine, said Maj. Gen. Kimberly Siniscalchi, USAF’s assistant surgeon general for medical force development and nursing services. “This FTU will focus on enhancing the knowledge and performance required to operate in our AE aircraft,” she told House lawmakers last week during an oversight hearing. She added, “The new modularized curriculum and the relocation of the FTU will reduce overall training time by 130 days, provide flexibility in completing the training requirements, eliminate redundancies, and save thousands of dollars in travel costs.” She also noted that this initiative would “standardize training” across the Air Force’s active and reserve components, “better preparing our AE community for any operational mission.” Pope Field, N.C., currently hosts an AE schoolhouse. (Siniscalchi’s written testimony)
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.