The Air Force has cut back on “non-mission critical” temporary duty assignments as part of its sequestration mitigation efforts. That could mean delays to professional military education courses, such as the NCO Academy and mission-readiness training, said Air Force Secretary Michael Donley during AFA’s Air Warfare Symposium in Orlando, Fla., on Feb. 22. “The TDY that supports all that work could delay the promotions of airmen that rely on that training and it could lead to loss of certifications for airmen in technical specialties such as firefighting and [explosive ordnance disposal] specialists,” said Donley during his symposium address.
While U.S. defense officials have spent much of the past decade warning that China is the nation’s pacing threat and its People’s Liberation Army represents an urgent threat in the Indo-Pacific, several defense researchers are skeptical that the PLA has the human capital, the structural ability, or the political appetite…