According to an April 2 Air Force Reserve Command release, AFRC expects to stand up its new classic associate squadron at Altus AFB, Okla., in 2010. Air Force and Oklahoma lawmakers announced creation of the unit April 2 (See above). Lt. Gen. Charles Stenner Jr., AFRC commander, said that the Reserve’s “exceptionally experienced” instructor aircrews would bring continuity to the formal training unit (FTU) at Altus. He noted, too, that with Reservists comprising “nearly 40 percent of the training load at Altus,” the standup of this Reserve squadron “is the first step in proportionality in the distribution of training placed on Regular Air Force crews.” According to the release, the new Reserve unit will not deploy, rather they would mobilize in-place, if needed, to keep the C-17 and KC-135 training pipelines open when active duty instructors must deploy.
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.