27 Jan 2022

DOD Places Variety of Troops on 'Prepare to Deploy'

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III placed a range of U.S. military units comprising 8,500 troops on a heightened preparedness to deploy should Russia invade Ukraine, and those units have been named, Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby said.

14 Jan 2022

More Active Troops to Help Take COVID-Related Pressure Off Civilian Hospitals

An additional 1,000 active duty service members will be teamed up to deploy to civilian hospitals across the U.S. to help take pressure off medical staffs there as they battle the effects of the omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus, Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby said.

23 Sep 2021

Myths and facts about the vax — debunking common COVID-19 vaccine myths

The COVID-19 vaccine has been mandated across the Department of Defense and despite its demonstrated effectiveness and safety, a host of myths have left some Airmen and Guardians hesitant to receive it. While social media posts and some news outlets may make it harder to keep up with what is fact or fiction, the science is clear … approved COVID-19 vaccines work.

8 Sep 2021

DAF announces mandatory COVID vaccine implementation guidelines for Airmen, Guardians

Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall has released a service implementation plan that requires Airmen and Guardians to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by the following dates, unless seeking an exemption.

10 Aug 2021

SECDEF requests mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations for military

By mid-September, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III will request a waiver from President Joe Biden to make the COVID-19 vaccine mandatory for service members, Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby said. 

4 Mar 2021

PT test pushed to July, updates to scoring, physical components ahead

When assessments resume, the three-component fitness test (1.5 mile run, 1 minute of pushups and situps) will be reset with scores calculated on a new three component scoring table. In addition, work is underway to separate scoring into five-year age groups as opposed to the previous ten – for example, age groups will start at <25, 25-29 years old, 30-34, years old, etc.

7 Dec 2020

Department of the Air Force moves Physical Fitness Assessments to April 2021, removes waist measurement from composite score permanently

To ensure social distancing practices remain in place during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and to give Airmen and Space Professionals time to prepare, testing was delayed from October to January and is now further delayed to April.