The Air Force issued an official instruction codifying its Comprehensive Airman Fitness initiative, its holistic approach to strengthening airmen’s resilience and fortitude. Air Force Instruction 90-506 establishes the requirements for CAF. It also recognizes the initiative as “a key readiness component” for sustaining “a fit, resilient, and ready force” through education, resilience-building activities, and wellness-support programs, and by “fostering a culture of airmen taking care of airmen.” “The term Comprehensive Airman Fitness has been a buzz word for a few years without people fully understanding what the term means,” said Almeda Giles, a community support coordinator with the 39th Air Base Wing at Incirlik AB, Turkey. “The AFI should just provide clarity,” said Giles in Incirlik’s May 4 release. CAF is “not a standalone program or specified training class,” but rather represents “a cultural shift in how we view and maintain fitness in a more comprehensive manner,” states the AFI, dated April 2. CAF’s goal is to enable airmen “to maintain the necessary balance of cognitive skill, physical endurance, emotional stamina, and spiritual well-being” to execute their mission, states the document. (Incirlik report by SSgt. Veronica Pierce)
The Air Force and Boeing agreed to a nearly $2.4 billion contract for a new lot of KC-46 aerial tankers on Nov. 21. The deal, announced by the Pentagon, is for 15 new aircraft in Lot 11 at a cost of $2.389 billion—some $159 million per tail.