Trainers at JBSA-Lackland, Tex., are implementing a new program to provide opportunities for professional development to airmen held in limbo between basic training and technical school. The 324th Training Squadron’s Holdover Airman Development Program, begun earlier this year, helps airmen earn university credit through study and testing, engage in community service, and develop leadership skills, according to Lackland’s Dec. 6 release. “We understand when holdover airmen come to the 324th TRS, this is the last place they want to be,” said Lt. Col. Paul Lips, the squadron’s commander. “We wanted them to utilize their time here to grow and develop as airmen so they could reach their maximum potential,” he added. Since the program’s inception, airmen have earned more than 1,000 university-equivalent credit hours, formed a competition drill team, and progressed through an organized airman leadership program of study, states the release. (Lackland report by Mike Joseph)
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.