At the direction of Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh, commanders 
across the Air Force began conducting health and welfare inspections on Dec. 5 in order to emphasize a workplace environment of respect, trust, and professionalism, announced service officials. The inspections come as Welsh is driving home the theme that commanders must ensure that every airman is treated with respect and sees himself or herself as a critically important member of the service. “Over the past months, I’ve discussed with our commanders, leaders, and supervisors about the importance of pride and performance,” said Welsh. He continued, “When airmen work in a setting that is consistent with our core values of integrity, service, and excellence, they perform with honor and distinction—they deserve nothing less. Anything short detracts from that pride and cripples mission effectiveness.” The inspections are meant to reinforce workplace expectations, correct deficiencies, and deter conditions that may be detrimental to good order and discipline, states the service’s release. “This is about commanders being commanders,” said Welsh. He added, “The underlying principle for the inspection is our core values, and the bottom line is that it’s the right thing to do.”
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.