Earlier this month, Maj. Tammy Barlette, from the Arizona Air National Guard’s 214th Reconnaissance Group, became the first Reserve Component remotely piloted vehicle operator to graduate from the Air Force Weapons School Instructor Course at Nellis AFB, Nev. Barlette and three active-duty RPV pilots were the first RPV operators to attend the 5.5-month-long course. “I’ve been through a lot of training but nothing as difficult as this,” said Barlette, a former A-10 pilot who left active duty to fly MQ-1 Predators over Iraq and Afghanistan full time with the Guard. She is now dual-qualified in the Predator and MQ-9 Reaper. Part of her responsibility now will be to teach her fellow Guardsmen RPV operational tactics. (Nellis report by Maj. Gabe Johnson)
Airmen and Guardians in the Active and Reserve component, as well as civilian employees, in “mission critical and high-risk populations” are now required to receive influenza vaccinations annually to “preserve force readiness,” according to a recent Department of the Air Force memo.