The Air Force has pushed back the transfer of a squadron of combat-ready F-22s from Holloman AFB, N.M., to Tyndall AFB, Fla., to the spring of 2014, about a one-year delay. “The timing of the move allows the approved actions to be synchronized in a way that minimizes disruption to airmen and their families, while optimizing combat capabilities and continuity in training for the units affected by the decision,” states a Jan. 9 Tyndall release. The northwest Florida base is already home to the F-22 schoolhouse. Under the Air Force’s F-22 fleet consolidation plan announced in July 2010, it stands to gain 21 Raptors and some 620 Active Duty and 230 Air Force Reserve manpower authorizations. Seven T-38s that fly as mock adversary aircraft against F-22s in training will also shift from Holloman to Tyndall, according to the release. The News Herald of Panama City, Fla., reported on Jan. 9 that elements of the Holloman squadron were originally scheduled to start arriving at Tyndall sometime this month.
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.