Air Force Reserve Command officials plan to formally reactive the 45th Fighter Squadron during a Jan. 7 ceremony at Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz., where the 45th FS will form a classic associate arrangement with the active-duty 355th Fighter Wing to help train A-10 pilots. The Air Force in 2008 announced resurrection of the 45th FS, which traces its roots to the 45th Pursuit Squadron, activated in Hawaii in 1940, and previously operated A-10s prior to its 1994 inactivation. Lt. Col. Terry McClain accepted command of the 45th during a Dec. 5 ceremony at Barksdale AFB, La., home to the 45th FS’s parent unit, the 917th Operations Group. McClain, who was around when the 45th lost its A-10s and inactivated, said, “I’m excited because I can bring the 45th Fighter Squadron back into the A-10 community. (917th Wing report by SrA. Crystal Marie Jordan)
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.