The Air Force on March 26 activated the 422nd Joint Tactics Squadron under the Air Force Expeditionary Center at JB McGuire, N.J. The new unit, formerly just a division within the center, will be the central repository for expeditionary combat support lessons learned and tactics, techniques, and procedures. “This squadron will ultimately enable airmen to receive the most current training and timely updates to TTPs prior to deploying,” said Lt. Col. Scott Robinson, the new unit’s commander. He added, “This not only helps save lives, it eliminates the need for additional training-in theater. It is really a force multiplier.” The 422nd JTS is the first of its kind within the Air Force for ground combat, but its work parallels that of the 561st JTS at Nellis AFB, Nev., that gathers and disseminates flying TTPs for aviators, according to USAF officials. (McGuire report by SSgt. Zachary Wilson)
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.