CMSAF James Cody invited Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh to be inducted into the Air Force Order of the Sword, the highest level of recognition that can be awarded by the enlisted force. During the enlisted force update Wednesday at ASC15, Cody called Welsh the heart of the Air Force. “There isn’t an airman out there who cares more about our airmen and their families, … nobody [is] more committed to carrying that legacy forward into the future,” he said. “We have been blessed, blessed to be under your leadership, boss.” Welsh will be the 10th inductee into the headquarters Air Force Order of the Sword, Cody said. The last person inducted was Michael Donley, the 22nd Secretary of the Air Force.
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.