One thing that worries Air Combat Command chief Gen. William Fraser is making sure that his combat forces get the training they need for the toughest potential fights. “There’s a different training requirement needed with irregular warfare versus the high end” of combat operations. He said keeping readiness levels “up where they need to be, should something else happen or if we’re called upon to perform somewhere else is probably the toughest piece in a resource-constrained environment.” Fraser said there will be increased use of distributed mission operations and simulation to keep his forces up to snuff for big wars even as they prosecute counterinsurgency.
The Air Force recently released an updated policy implementing the Pentagon’s new guidance on troops’ religious accommodation requests. The new policy emphasizes the role commanders play in reviewing such requests, limiting the role of chaplains and eliminating special boards meant to advise leaders.