The Air Force intends to retire 59 aircraft next fiscal year and add 137 new airframes to its inventory in that same span, according to its proposed force structure realignments, released Tuesday. The list of aircraft to be phased out includes: 28 C-130Es, seven C-21As, three C-9Cs, 17 C-5As, two MC-130Es, and two T-43s. The aircraft slated to join the force are: eight C-130Js, 10 C-17s, six C-27Js, one C-37B, three CV-22s, 19 F-22As, 11 F-35As, four MC-130Js, 16 MQ-1s, 29 MQ-9s, five RQ-4Bs, and 25 T-41Ds (for the Air Force Academy). Some of the planned retirements, such as the 17 C-5As, are contingent on Congressional approval stemming from language in Fiscal 2010 defense legislation. (Fiscal 2011 force structure announcement and briefing charts, caution large file)
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.