Air National Guard SSgt. Chris Pieper with the 119th Fighter Wing in Fargo, N.D., and a Fargo firefighter has won a partial improvement to the city of Fargo’s military leave policy, reports the Associated Press news service. Pieper had filed a challenge with the US Labor Department because he claimed Fargo was violating the Uniformed Services Employment and Re-employment Rights Act by denying benefits accrual to city personnel called to active duty. According to AP, city commissioners voted to revise its policy but only for reservists on active duty for 30 days or less. The Labor Department has bumped the complaint over to the US attorney.
The Air Force overall reduced its size by 120 aircraft in fiscal year 2021, but kept about the same number of fighter, bomber and attack aircraft, according to data supplied by the service. The F-35 fleet saw the biggest increase while the B-1B bomber fleet saw the largest decline.