The Air Force Personnel Center plans to refine the way in which the Air Force fills 365-day deployments. The net result, according to a Sept. 19 AFPC release, will be to give airmen destined to serve those year-long deployments more advance notice than they currently get. The service has nearly 2,000 airmen in 365-day deployments, and about one-third of those received less that 60 days notice. Among changes set to take effect Oct. 1, airmen tapped for these assignments will have only three days to accept or decline, streamlines the verification process, and requires a medical pre-assessment to ensure the airmen are able to complete combat skills training. “These changes are designed to streamline the process and provide airmen adequate time to prepare themselves and their families before departing,” said Maj. Gen. K.C. McClain, AFPC commander. (AFPC report by MSgt. Kat Bailey)
While U.S. defense officials have spent much of the past decade warning that China is the nation’s pacing threat and its People’s Liberation Army represents an urgent threat in the Indo-Pacific, several defense researchers are skeptical that the PLA has the human capital, the structural ability, or the political appetite…