The Air National Guard celebrated the 40th anniversary of its I.G. Brown Training and Education Center at McGhee Tyson ANGB, Tenn., on July 30-31. “We’ve had 40 years of building exceptional leaders for the Air Guard,” said Col. Michael Waggett, TEC commander. Lt. Gen. Craig McKinley, Air Guard director, who has been recommended to take command of the National Guard Bureau, attended the anniversary festivities. Over its 40-year history, the center has graduated approximately 44,000 students, 43 of which have become general officers. Today, the center runs 18 professional military education courses on average throughout the year. Earlier this year, Air Force Reserve Command consolidated its officer training with the active Officer Training School at Maxwell AFB, Ala. There was speculation the Air Guard might consider such a move. (Includes NGB report by MSgt. Mike Smith)
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.