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)
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.