Building a well-rounded, resilient Air Force is a top priority for senior leaders, but there are still plenty of signs that a decade of war is taking its toll on the force. The number of alcohol-related incidents is hovering around 7,000, there were 3,600 ground-safety incidents in Fiscal 2010, and child and partner abuse cases, as well as divorce rates are up, said CMSAF James Roy, speaking to an audience Thursday at AFA’s Air Warfare Symposium and Technology Exposition in Orlando, Fla. There also are an average of 600 sexual assault cases each year, and the 2011 suicide rate has already surpassed the 100 airmen suicides in Fiscal 2010, said Roy. “People matter. A resiliency culture is the right thing to do for our airmen, their families, and the United States Air Force,” he said. He added, “Our airmen and their families are the most important asset we have and we have to take that into consideration.”
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.