The New Mexico Air National Guard’s 150th Fighter Wing briefed local lawmakers last week, according to an Eyewitness News 4 report, on its situation and pursuit of a new mission since the unit must give up its F-16s under USAF’s plan to shed some 250 legacy fighters next year. The Air Force plan, announced in the spring, caught New Mexico lawmakers by surprise, particularly since the service offered no mission replacement plan for the unit.
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.