Secretary of the Air Force Michael W. Wynne spoke to the Precision Strike Association Oct. 19 at Johns Hopkins University. During his speech, the secretary addressed the issues of cyberspace dominance, the "information mosaic," and the future of precision strike. Secretary Wynne reflected on the evolution of these issues and posed pointed questions to the audience concerning these issues and their future in military operations.

The new Chief of Staff professional reading list encourages Airmen toward pursuing knowledge that grounds them in history, sustains them in today’s flight, and propels them toward our limitless horizon. I encourage you to begin reading books from this list and, as the slogan says, "Read it, learn it, live it!"

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A date of separation rollback and a limited active-duty service commitment waiver, join the current tools of reducing the number of accessions into the enlisted force, career job reservations and the NCO retraining program.

The DOS rollback applies to enlisted Airmen with certain re-enlistment ineligibility codes or assignment availability codes. These individuals will be required to separate from the force by March 15, 2007. The DOS rollback specifically affects Airmen with less than 14 years or more than 20 years of service.

The LADSC Waiver Program allows retirement-eligible master and technical sergeants in overage AFSCs to have all or portions of an extension waived and voluntarily retire by Sept. 1, 2007. Waivers can be granted for extensions due to promotion, PCS, attending professional military education, technical training, Air Force educational leave of absence, and Bootstrap.

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Read about how basic military training is evolving to create Airmen warriors, discover the meaning behind the Air Force Memorial's design, and tag along with provincial reconstruction teams as they work to restore hope and fight terrorism in Afghanistan.

These features and more highlight the fall quarterly issue of Airman magazine, now available in print and online at http://www.af.mil/news/airman/.

The process to get the Department of State-issued document takes three to six weeks because of mailing, screening and coordination through official channels in Washington, D.C. Until completed, it prevents Airmen from deploying to countries that require one.

Airmen can look at the DOD foreign clearance guide at www.Fcg.pentagon.mil, which lists documents needed for travel to each country. Airmen should look at the passport process as part of their predeployment checklist and start gathering any missing documentation.

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The Air Force has immediate openings for in-flight refueling (boom operators), flight engineers, loadmasters, airborne mission systems, airborne battle management, flight attendants, aerial gunners and airborne cryptologic linguists. Interested Airmen are encouraged to visit the Virtual MPF retraining site or the career enlisted aviator Web site for more information.

In an effort to provide clarity in awards standards across the military services, the Defense Department has begun a comprehensive review of military awards and decorations. This review will result in revision of DOD Instruction 1348.33-M, the Manual of Military Decorations and Awards. The review will focus on several specific areas where discrepancies among the different branches of the military have come to light. These include the criteria for "V" devices and Purple Heart Medals. Another area that will be addressed is the definition of the theater of operations when it comes to expeditionary medals.

A working group consisting of representatives from each service, the Joint Staff and the Institute of Heraldry will form the core of the comprehensive review effort, which is expected to last about six months. If the services achieve a consensus, DOD will be able to move quickly with publication of the new instruction.

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"Today’s Air Force" will begin to air on the Pentagon Channel and Armed Forces Radio and Television Service the first week in November. This 30-minute weekly broadcast will highlight the efforts of America’s Airmen.

GUARD AND RESERVE

Air Force Reserve Command is changing its officer promotion system to meet future total force requirements. In one change, the command will combine Selected Reserve (Categories A and B) and Participating Individual Ready Reserve, or PIRR, (Category E) officers into a single promotion group. Under force shaping actions, the Air Force Reserve will shift some of its member authorizations from paid positions in the Selected Reserve to non-paid status in the PIRR.

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The fiscal 2007 Defense Appropriations Act funds an end-strength of 74,900 reservists, which is 900 additional reservists from last year. The new legislation also approves 10,214 full-time air reserve technicians and 2,707 full-time active Guard and Reserve members. The defense bill funds a 2.2 percent across-the-board military pay raise for active and Reserve forces as requested in the president's budget earlier this year.

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HEALTH AND FITNESS

The Department of Defense announced a resumption of the mandatory Anthrax Vaccine Immunization Program for military members, emergency-essential DOD civilians and contractors, based on defined geographic areas or roles. For the most part, mandatory vaccinations are limited to military units designated for homeland bioterrorism defense and to U.S. forces assigned to the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility and Korea.

For more information on the anthrax vaccination program, visit http://www.vaccines.mil/ or http://www.vaccines.mil/anthrax.

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Tricare officials are making a handbook available to all beneficiaries covered under Tricare Standard. Beneficiaries now may ask for copies of the Tricare Standard handbook or the summary of beneficiary costs flyer from their regional contractors or from a local Tricare Service Center, or view the documents on the Tricare Smart Site at http://www.tricare.osd.mil/TRICARESmart. Basic information on Tricare Standard is available at http://www.tricare.osd.mil/Factsheets/viewfactsheet.cfm?id=318.

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FINANCES

In Germany, TKS customers who opted for a cell phone two-year contract, instead of the prepaid options, were provided a contract obtained by TKS through the off-base German provider, T-Mobile. These two year contracts require a three-month written cancellation notice. When the two-year period is up, T-Mobile will automatically extend the contract in six-month increments. Additionally, if the T-Mobile two year contract is not cancelled and gets extended for the new six-month period, T-Mobile still requires the same three-month written notice to terminate during the six-month extension.

To view recent AAFES press releases, go to www.aafes.com/pa/default.asp

A good rule to follow when looking to purchase anything is that if you don't know when or how you will pay for an item, then you probably can't afford the item and shouldn't "charge it." Here are some tips to help if you are already in debt:

1. Stop spending. The first step is to reduce your use and dependence on credit cards. Cut up all but one card with the best terms

2. Get on a budget. You need to know where your money is going before you know how much you can pay toward your cards.

3. Establish an emergency fund. Establishing $500 to $1,000 in savings will provide a safety net for life's little emergencies.

4. Find the hidden money. Luxuries such as premium cable/satellite, internet and cell phone packages are not necessary for survival.

5. Pay your highest-dollar cards first. List each of your credit cards, their interest rates, and their minimum payments. Pay the minimum balance on the lower interest cards, and then pay the maximum you can afford to the highest interest card.

6. Make two payments a month. Each payday send a payment to the highest rate credit card company.

7. Consider finding extra income. A part-time job can help accelerate your debt repayment. Even just a few hours a week can provide a boost.

8. Seek help. Your base Airman and Family Readiness Centers have certified financial counselors on staff ready and willing to help you.

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