477th Fighter Group Key Leader Potential Commander’s Call Topics, September 2016
►CURRENT ISSUES/Events
New AF Blended Retirement and Reserve Options
The “Blended Retirement System” or “BRS,” is one of the most wide-reaching and significant changes to military pay and benefits of the last 70 years. BRS offers service members a portable retirement account and provides the Department of Defense (DoD) greater force management flexibility, while reducing the direct cost to the American taxpayer.
The Blended Retirement System goes into effect January 1, 2018.
Air Force Reserve Command SNAPSHOT
• Air Force Reserve Mission: Provide Combat-Ready Forces to Fly, Fight and Win
• Air Force Reserve Vision: The Air Force Reserve will remain an integrated, flexible and combat-ready force providing accessible and sustainable capabilities as an Air Force component supporting our National Security
• Air Force Reserve Guiding Principles: Combat-Ready, Cost-Effective and Experienced Force; Force with Operational Capability, Strategic Depth and Surge Capacity; Viable and Relevant Force; Sustainable Professional Military Force
Air Force Reserve Basics
• Established: April 14,1948
• Designated MAJCOM (AFRC): February 17, 1997
• Selected Reserve Strength (FY16): 69,200
• Command Structure: 35 wings, 10 independent groups and various mission support units located at 9 Reserve bases, 54 Active Duty, Joint Reserve and Air National Guard bases, as well as 5 miscellaneous locations.
For more, click here http://www.afrc.af.mil/Portals/87/documents/Snapshot/AFRSnapshotJuly2016.pdf?ver=2016-07-19-075929-263
US Air Force to Complete Transition to Windows 10 by January 2018
The United States Department of Defense signed a deal with Microsoft to upgrade their 4 million computers to Windows 10 by 2017.
Marijuana and the military
As state recreational and medical marijuana laws change throughout the country, Air Force Reserve Command officials remind reservists that any marijuana use or possession by uniformed service members is still illegal under federal law. And the consequences for breaking this law could be career ending.
Research analysts develop F-22 efficiency tool
When the US Air Force first announced its plans to divest the A-10 Warthog in the fiscal 2015 budget, the service may not have had enough quality information to truly understand the impact of that decision, a new Government Accountability Office report contends.
August Issue of Citizen Airman online
►COMING UP IN AIR FORCE HISTORY
Air Force Birthday
Following the National Security Act of 1947, under President Harry S. Truman, the Army Air Forces formally cut ties with the Army to become a separate and equal military branch.
There are approximately 664,000 active-duty, Guard, Reserve and civilian forces serving in the U.S. and overseas Aug. 13, 1952 – Air Force officials ordered the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, an eight-jet heavy bomber, into full-scale production.
September 10, 1965 - The USAF launched the first Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) weather satellite, which enabled the Air Weather Service to gather global weather data.
September 11, 1953 - A Sidewinder N-7 (AIM-9) air-to-air missile made its first successful interception, sending a Grumman F6F-5K Hellcat drone down in flames at China Lake, California.
September 12, 1918 - Brig. Gen. William "Billy" Mitchell led 1,481 planes in the St. Mihiel offensive lasting through Sep. 15. This was the biggest air armada to date.
September 13, 1951 - The U.S. Air Force established its first pilotless bomber squadron at the Missile Test Center, Cocoa, Florida.
September 14, 1944 - Col. Floyd B. Wood, Maj. Harry Wexler, and Lt. Frank Recford made the first flight into a hurricane to collect scientific data in a Douglas A-20 Havoc.
September 15, 2001 - In the first five days after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, 35 Air National Guard fighter units supplied 603 sorties while the 18 ANG tanker wings flew 72 sorties to offload 3.2 million pounds of fuel during Operation Noble Eagle.
September 16, 1960 – During the Korean War, Fifth Air Force flew 110 B-26 sorties, the high figure for the month, mostly night armed reconnaissance and interdiction. Using the recently-developed roadblock tactics, the light bombers damaged or destroyed over 100 enemy vehicles.
►MORE RESOURCES
• Early Bird Brief:
http://link.defensenews.com/
• 477 FG Phone Directory_1 Aug 2016 (CAC Enabled)
https://jber.eim.elmendorf.af.mil/OtherUnits/477FG/477%20FG%20QUICK%20REFERENCE%20STAFF%20DIRECTORY/Forms/AllItems.aspx
• Airman magazine
http://www.airmanonline.af.mil/
• Military OneSource/HomeFront
http://militaryonesource.mil/
• Air Reserve Personnel Center
http://www.arpc.afrc.af.mil/
• Air Force Association Scholarships
http://www.afa.org/AFA/InformationFor/Military/Scholarships