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)
An important U.S. Air Force E-3 Sentry AWACS command and control plane was among the aircraft damaged in a March 27 Iranian missile and drone attack on Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia, people familiar with the matter told Air & Space Forces Magazine.