The Air Force plans to enlist the help of prior military training instructors to bridge the gap until it can fill the 220 additional MTI slots it must have to train prospective airmen over the next two years as the service increases its active duty end strength to 332,700. CMSAF Rodney McKinley highlighted the need for the additional MTIs in an Enlisted Perspective letter earlier this year, but now he says the current MTIs, who are “doing an outstanding job and are working long hours to meet this influx,” need some immediate relief. In the short term, Air Force Personnel Center will select former MTIs—those who served in that capacity within the past four years—to return to that duty for a 179-day temporary duty assignment. (AFPC report)
House, Senate Unveil Competing Proposals for 2026 Budget
July 11, 2025
Lawmakers from the House and Senate laid out competing versions of the annual defense policy bill on July 11, with vastly different potential outcomes for some of the Air Force’s most embattled programs.