Navy F/A-18 Super Hornets from NAS Oceana, Va., joined F-15Cs from Elmendorf AFB, Alaska, and F-15Es from Seymour-Johnson AFB, N.C., Dec. 8 for two days of joint live-fire training at Tyndall AFB, Fla. The event marked the start of a new initiative under which Navy and Marine Corps fighters will participate regularly in the Air Force’s Combat Archer weapon system evaluation program, which takes place there quarterly to assess the ability of fighter aircraft to execute their air-to-air missions in realistic combat scenarios. This includes assessing the performance of those aircraft’s air-to-air missiles and gun systems. Capt. Amanda Ferrell, spokeswoman for Tyndall’s 325th Fighter Wing, told the Daily Report yesterday that the F/A-18s from Oceana’s VFA-211 squadron have already concluded their activities and departed Tyndall, along with the F-15Es from Seymour-Johnson’s 336th Fighter Squadron. But the F-15Cs from Elmendorf’s 19th FS are still training and expected to leave on Friday. Under the new joint initiative, Marine Corps aircraft are expected to participate in one of the four Combat Archers each fiscal year, with Navy aircraft attending the other three, she said. One Navy officer and NCO are now permanently assigned to Tyndall to serve as WSEP liaisons, she noted. (Includes Tyndall report by Capt. Amanda Ferrell)
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.