The Air Force’s newly updated fitness regulations now allow airmen who failed their fitness test to appeal directly to their wing commander rather than going through the Air Force Board for Corrections of Military Records. The move means the wait time, which previously lasted 90 days or longer, is now expected to take only a few weeks, perhaps less, according to an Oct. 24 Air Force Personnel Center release. “The change is positive for everyone involved,” said SMSgt. Kreig Cressione of AFPC’s special programs branch. “Airmen don’t have to wait as long for a decision on their appeal, wing commanders have the authority to adjudicate their airmen’s appeals, and the BCMR will be able to focus on other records that need review and correction,” he said. If a commander disapproves a request, an airman can then appeal to AFPC’s newly established Fitness Assessment Appeal Board, states the release. If FAAB disapproves the request, the BCMR will serve as the final appeal authority. (AFPC report by Debbie Gildea)
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.