Sixty-eight percent of all airmen entered service after 9/11, so they have never known an Air Force that was not involved in wars. The high operational tempo of the last decade is the new normal for today’s force, said CMSAF James Roy during AFA’s Air Warfare Symposium in Orlando, Fla., on Feb. 24. Airmen want to know how they are going to keep their edge, said Roy. “That’s a good question, because I think that’s the question of the future,” he said. Senior leaders have to make sure they are up to the task and figure out how to ensure airmen remain motivated, said Roy. “I know we can do it. We made the transition after 9/11 very, very quickly, and airmen have shown us they are willing to produce every single day,” he said.
Members of the House Armed Services Committee say the AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile program has been set back three months due to the ongoing government shutdown. The comment is noteworthy because the JATM's status has been kept tightly under wraps.
