Reserve personnel across the five branches of the US armed forces cooperate more closely and are better suited to defend the United States than ever before, said Lt. Gen. Charles Stenner, Air Force Reserve chief. “When I think about where we are right now as a bunch of services, we are more in sync than we have ever been,” stated Stenner during a panel discussion Monday at the Reserve Officers Association’s national security symposium in Washington D.C. He added, “The focus is not on what’s good for each service, it’s on what’s good for the nation.” As for Air Force Reserve, Stenner said its organization and “core functions” are changing “based on the needs of this nation.” He continued, “I don’t believe we’re debating anymore whether we’re strategic or operational. It’s just how you couch it. We’re going to be both.”
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.