The Air Force is on track to complete by June 30 the initial training program that is part of the process of repealing the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy, Lt. Gen. Darrell Jones, Air Staff lead for personnel issues, told the Daily Report Thursday. Officials began training the first two tiers of airmen—leadership and the experts who will deal directly with repeal implementation—on Feb. 14. Training for everyone else began March 1, he said. “We haven’t had a lot of significant issues so far,” said Jones. “I think [Chief of Staff] Gen. [Norton] Schwartz said it best when he said he was a lot more comfortable with repeal now than he was at the start of the roll out based on comments we are getting back from the field.” Pentagon officials have said they are aiming to get 100 percent of units of trained before Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Joint Chiefs Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen certify the changes to Pentagon policies and regulations—one of the final steps before the Clinton-era DADT law is overturned and homosexuals are allowed to serve openly.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth vowed to undertake far-reaching reforms on the way the U.S. military buys weapons, promising a sweeping overhaul of the way the Defense Department determines requirements, handles the acquisition process, and tests its kit. The fundamental goal, which Hegseth underscored in a 1-hour and 10-minute speech…
