The US Air Force (USAF) has announced plans to reduce training that is unrelated to airmen’s primary mission.
The latest move is aimed at addressing concerns that excessive and non-mission related demands are impacting airmen’s ability to accomplish their core duties.
Recently, the USAF directed the ‘Airmen’s Time’ task force to review 42 ancillary training courses as part of ongoing efforts to take care of airmen and revitalise squadrons.
The review excluded functional training requirements.
The official memorandum revealed that out of those courses, 15 stand-alone training courses will be eliminated and 16 would be streamlined to reduce associated training time.
Nine of the ten courses, which were identified as burdensome in a recent survey, will be eliminated as part of the initiative, which will allow airmen to focus on their core mission.
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By GlobalDataIt also gives more time to Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve airmen to focus on improving their core skill sets at the time of drill.
Air Force chief of staff David Goldfein said: “We’ve taken some modest steps to ensure we use our Airmen’s time in the smartest way, but this is a journey.
“We’ll continue to be deliberate about what we cut or streamline, but more is required as we continue to focus our efforts on the business of warfighting, respecting our Airmen’s time, and still meeting the necessary requirements to take care of our mission and our force.”
The courses reviewed include total force awareness training; selected force training; event-driven training; and basic Airman readiness training.
Air Force secretary Deborah Lee James said: “This initiative represents the next step in giving time back to our airmen.
"All these training requirements were created to provide valuable information to our Airmen.
"The intent was right, but as the lists of requirements increased, our Airmen spent more time away from their core duties.”
Reducing ancillary training is specifically designed to give flexibility to the USAF in how it meets and implements these requirements.
Changes are set to take place between January and April next year.