Air Force officials announced three additional initiatives designed to enhance mission readiness by keeping pilots in the service and bringing retired pilots back to fill critical-rated positions.

The first is an increase in the aviation incentive pay, commonly called flight pay, for both officer and enlisted aviators for the first time since 1999, effective Oct. 1. The second is an expansion of the fiscal year 2017 Aviation Bonus Program to include non-contracted and contract-expired pilots that began Aug. 4. The third is the rated return to active-duty program which brings retired pilots back into the service to fill critical-rated staff positions that began Aug. 11.

"We need to retain our experienced pilots and these are some examples of how we're working to do that," said Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson. "We can't afford not to compensate our talented aviators at a time when airlines are hiring unprecedented numbers."

Retaining experience, enhancing readiness

The Air Force was 1,555 pilots short at the end of fiscal 2016, which includes 1,211 total force fighter pilots -- with the deficit expected to grow.

To address this, the first initiative is directed at all aviators and provides higher amounts of incentive pay, or flight pay. Aviators will see a reduced number of steps in the Air Force Aviation Incentive Pay table, an increase to a maximum of $1,000 per month and increased pay rates across all steps for officers beginning Oct. 1.

Simultaneously, enlisted aircrew members will also see their incentive pay increase. The Critical Skills Incentive Pay, previously referred to as Career Enlisted Flyer Incentive Pay, will increase to a maximum of $600 per month.

Air Force incentive pay for aviators with less than six years of aviation service hasn't been increased since 1980. The most recent changes to incentive pay were made in 1999.

In addition to the incentive pay increases, the Air Force expanded the fiscal 2017 Aviation Bonus Program.

"The Air Force's fiscal year 2017 Aviation Bonus take rates have been lower than what the Air Force needs," explained Lt. Gen. Gina Grosso, the Air Force deputy chief of staff for manpower, personnel and services. "The bonus is now being offered to a larger pool of pilots that includes those beyond their initial service commitments who have previously declined to sign long-term bonus contracts and those whose contracts have expired.

"This is one of many initiatives we are taking to retain experienced pilots," Grosso stated.

The final initiative is the Voluntary Rated Return to Active Duty, or VRRAD, program that is open to all pilot Air Force Specialty Codes (11X). The service is accepting up to 25 retired 11Xs volunteering to return to active-duty for up to 12 months to primarily fill critical-rated staff positions, thereby allowing current and qualified pilots to remain in operational units where they are needed to meet mission requirements.

A number of non-flying staff positions require a pilot's expertise. The Air Force has reviewed these positions to determine if each is necessary and if it requires a pilot to fulfill its duties. Volunteers for VRRAD will help fill these positions.

"Our combat-hardened aircrews are at the tip of the spear for applying airpower against our nation's enemies," said Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein. "Secretary Wilson and I are committed to doing everything in our power to ensure we maintain that capability for the nation. We continue to swing away at this issue and we're looking at multiple options to improve both quality of life and quality of service for our pilots."

Make some quick cash by selling gently used items, or come to buy unique treasures at the annual Joint Base Lewis-McChord Fall Flea Market Sept. 16 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Family and MWR’s Fest Tent next to Bowl Arena Lanes at 2200 Liggett Ave. on Lewis Main. Rent two 6-foot tables, spaces or combos for only $26. Three tables/space combos spanning 18 feet are $30. Rent an additional 6-foot table or space for $6 more. You must be an authorized military ID cardholder in order to sell your household or yard items. Email specialevents@JBLMmwr.com, or call 253-967-6772 for reservations.

The Air Force is the first agency in the Department of Defense to roll out a new tool that helps government civilians more effectively manage their benefits and entitlement information.

The Government Retirement and Benefits Platform is a web-based application that allows employees to make changes and updates to their health insurance, life insurance, Thrift Savings Plan and other personal benefit information.

The GRB Platform replaces the Employee Benefits Information System, which replaced most paper-based processes in 1996.

"The GRB Platform includes all the functionality previously offered with EBIS, but in a much more intuitive and user-friendly environment," said Annette Castro, a human resource specialist at the Air Force Personnel Center. "It gives employees the ability to easily obtain and request various retirement estimates, complete their retirement packages and review their current benefits coverage."

The site also contains informational videos, facts sheets, electronic forms, calculators, retirement courses and links to external websites to help individuals make important decisions regarding their benefits.  

Employees can access the GRB Platform application through AFPC Secure by selecting the "GRB Platform" application link. Employees should see a brief video explaining the new system the first time they log in.

"This is another example of how we are providing smarter and more efficient personnel services to our customers worldwide," Castro said. "It's important that we continue to improve and enhance all of our business processes, so our customers can have what they need right at their fingertips."

For more information, visit the myPers website and search "GRB Platform." 

A rare honor was bestowed on a prior McChord airman and his family during a street renaming ceremony Aug. 19 at Joint Base Lewis-McChord. 

The ceremony unveiled McChord Field's  newly renamed street Chief Master Sgt. William M. Cannon Blvd., previously 5th St. NE on Heritage Hill.

The late Cannon was a retired McChord loadmaster who was a Distinguished Flying Cross recipient and made immense contributions to the loadmaster community and the development of the C-17 Globemaster III.          

"Chief Master Sgt. Bill Cannon was a seasoned aviator, gifted leader and the ‘father of the C-17 loadmaster,'" said Col. Reba Sonkiss, 62nd Airlift Wing commander. "This street, now to be called Chief Master Sgt. William M. Cannon Boulevard, recognizes the contributions of a man who dedicated his entire life and career in service to our great nation and our Air Force."

Serving more than 30 years in the Air Force, Cannon held more than 16,600 flying hours in the C-54, C-24, C-130 and C-141 aircraft, Sonkiss noted. He also served in Vietnam where he earned the Distinguished Flying Cross.

"When you think back to the incredible history of airlift here at McChord, it really puts into perspective the accomplishments and contributions of incredible airmen like Chief Cannon," said Sonkiss. "We can only hope to make him proud in the future as we set out on our own paths."

After retiring as the chief loadmaster at McChord, Cannon was the chief loadmaster of the C-17 flight test program. He also founded the Airlift Tanker Association and the Professional Loadmaster Association.

"Chief Cannon was a great leader, an inspiration to look up to and his dedication to service and others was beyond reproach," said Dan Watson, friend of Cannon. "He was an amazing man and the renaming of the street is befitting of his service to all loadmasters past, present and future."

Chief Master Sgt. William M. Cannon Blvd. joins those of the distinguished streets and buildings on McChord Field named after airmen who've made great contributions to the Air Force.     

"Chief Cannon left behind an undeniable legacy of service and excellence that paved the way for our current mobility Air Force," said Sonkiss. "This renaming honors the trail that he blazed for the C-17 community, the 62nd Airlift Wing, and the United States Air Force."

Air Force Medicine has a non-stop global readiness mission. Medical airmen must be prepared to deploy on short notice to provide life-saving and performance-enhancing healthcare in diverse, austere, isolated locations, and all airmen must be medically ready to deploy. To achieve this readiness mission, the Air Force Medical Service operates 76 military treatment facilities around the world, which serve as the primary readiness and training vehicles.

The 12 hospitals and 64 clinics within the AFMS serve as dual readiness platforms, ensuring that all airmen meet medical readiness standards to deploy, and that all medical airmen have the training and skills necessary for deployment. The MTFs are the foundation of our expeditionary medical capabilities, providing a population of patients that drives the workload, case diversity and acuity necessary to maintain clinical currency that is essential for readiness.

Every Air Force MTF is aligned with an operational wing to enhance the medical readiness of warfighters and their families. Medical group commanders tailor the care and training offered at their MTF, ensuring the medical readiness of the operational wing they support. No two air bases have exactly the same mission portfolio, so each has unique medical support requirements.

An excellent example of how MTFs support the installation's operational mission is the 19th Medical Group at Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas. The 19th Aerospace Medicine Squadron High Altitude Airdrop Mission Support Center is housed at Little Rock, so medics from the 19 MDG are experts in the care of high-altitude operators. This includes unique oxygen monitoring and physiologic performance requirements for these airmen. This type of expertise, like others organic to Air Force Medicine, isn't required at every installation, nor would it be efficient to deploy it at all 76 AFMS facilities.

The knowledge, skills and abilities gained at these fixed facilities translate into outstanding care in a deployed environment. A valuable tool for the AFMS to extend this care downrange is our Expeditionary Medical Support Health Response Teams (EMEDS-HRT). EMEDS-HRT allows medical airmen to rapidly deploy a mobile tent hospital that can provide emergency care within an hour of arrival on the scene of a disaster or other casualty situation. This gives us the capability to deliver surgery and critical care within six hours, and full hospital capability within 12 hours of arrival.

Properly training medical airmen to deploy and operate EMEDS-HRT requires a specialized MTF readiness platform. Four Air Force MTFs are presently staffed to deploy and train EMEDS personnel, including the 633rd Medical Group at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, devoting time and resources to a critical deployment platform that other MTFs are not resourced to deliver.

At the 633rd, the Global Response Force coordinates with Air Combat Command to run annual training exercises on EMEDS-HRT. Medics from the 633rd practice rapid deployment and simulated casualty care with a wide assortment of patient scenarios. These well-trained airmen from the 633rd deploy in support of a variety of mission types around the world, from combat operations support to humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.

Once fully operational, EMEDS-HRT can provide surgical and trauma care, prevention, acute intervention, primary care and dental service to a population of more than 3,000. Our expert teams continue to find innovative ways to decrease the size and weight, while increasing the speed of deploying these mobile hospitals. They can also be tailored to a specific mission, adding specialty care such as obstetrics/gynecology and pediatrics for humanitarian assistance, disaster relief or other missions involving populations with special healthcare needs.

Medics at most MTFs rotate through EMEDS training, but may not receive the in-depth training available to airmen at Joint Base Langley-Eustis. This tailored mission support is critical to building and sustaining an agile and flexible force, capable of completing a myriad of health-related missions around the globe at once.

MTFs also serve as platforms to evolve and implement new ways of caring for patients. Most patients interact most often with their health teams in primary care clinics, so these are a key area for readiness and innovation. Air Force MTFs utilize the Air Force Medical Home model, a team-based approach to care that embeds specialty providers into primary care clinics. This removes barriers to care and drives efficiency. Mental health providers, physical therapists, clinical pharmacists, social workers, and others augment or deliver primary care appointments in close coordination with the primary provider and other members of the team.

Our Behavioral Health Optimization Program, which embeds mental health providers in primary care clinics, has been particularly beneficial. Building a mentally resilient force is a key to readiness, but stigma can sometimes create a serious hurdle to seeking mental healthcare. BHOP is an effective way to initiate mental healthcare, starting informal conversations with mental health professionals. Brief meetings in the context of a primary care appointment can lead to earlier treatment of a mental health condition, preventing a more serious problem.

The AFMH model also incorporates the Base Operational Medicine Clinic, an occupational medicine, flight medicine and deployment health-focused clinic. BOMC is separate from primary and family care clinics at MTFs, focusing resources on the readiness mission. Previously, flight and occupational medicine clinics required patients to visit different departments to get their pre-placement exams and exposure assessments. BOMC, centralizes all exam components in one clinic, and use standardized procedures. This model is especially valuable at MTFs that host fighter wings, or other units that call for a high volume of aerospace medicine services.

In our continuous efforts to provide a medically ready and ready medical force of airmen for our nation's defense, the AFMS relies on the remarkable medical airmen who are its providers, nurses, technicians and patients. The people I serve with, men and women of amazing compassion, skill, training and creativity, continually inspire me. My job is to build a system that allows them to succeed to the maximum extent of their abilities, and to create space for them to successfully innovate. The strength of the AFMS is undoubtedly our mighty medical airmen.

In any organization, once change has begun, the biggest challenge is to sustain the change and build on that initial momentum. Our readiness focus is not only for today's requirements, but the new missions we may be called upon to execute tomorrow. As we support the increasingly in-demand, 24/7 mission of our globally engaged Air Force, some of these challenges will be small, while others will be immense. Our MTFs are the backbone of a flexible and resilient AFMS, helping us answer the call to meet any readiness mission we are called on to deliver in the future.

Beginning Sept. 1, Express Scripts will need annual consent from patients who want to receive automatic refills of their maintenance medications enrolled in TRICARE Pharmacy Home Delivery. This means that just before one of your prescriptions runs out of refills, Express Scripts will reach out to you to know if you would like your doctor to be contacted to renew the prescription and if you'd like to continue in the Automatic Refill program. If not, Express Scripts will not refill your prescription.

"This new process gives beneficiaries more control over their medications and keeps the convenience of automatic refills," said Amy Aldighere, the DoD Program Management Express Scripts senior director. "It also makes it easier to opt out of the Auto Refill program and helps to prevent beneficiaries from receiving medications that they no longer need or shouldn't receive."

What to Expect

When the last refill of a medication enrolled in the Automatic Refill program ships, Express Scripts will reach out to you by telephone and/or email (depending on the preference you indicated) and ask the following:

• Would you like Express Scripts to reach out to your doctor for a new prescription?

• Do you want to keep your medication enrolled in the Auto Refill program?

How to Respond

Express Scripts will not re-enroll your medication unless they hear from you. You have several ways to respond:

• Online at Express-Scripts.com/TRICARE

• Via the automated phone call from Express Scripts

• By calling an Express Scripts patient care advocate (PCA) at 1.877.363.1303

If Express Scripts does not receive your consent within 10 days of reaching out to you, they will remove your medication from the Auto Refill program. However, re-enrolling is simple. You can re-enroll your medication at any time online, or through a PCA.

For more information or if you have questions, go to the Express Scripts website. You can also call Express Scripts at 1.877.363.1303 to speak with a PCA.

Beginning Monday and continuing through Sept. 22, JBLM's Directorate of Public Works will be conducting a repaving project on Perimeter Road which will prohibit traffic getting either to or from the Spanaway area through Barnes Gate, however, traffic getting to and from I-5 will continue to be able to use Barnes Gate (traveling west) through Sept. 4. Beginning Sept. 5, the city of Lakewood will be making extensive improvements to the sewer network in the American Lakes Garden neighborhood resulting in the closure of 150th Street from Woodbrook Drive to Perimeter Road.

The timeframe these two projects overlap will occur Sept. 5 through Sept. 22 and will require Perimeter Road being closed from Woodbrook Drive to Military Road. Barnes Gate and the McChord Field Commercial Vehicle Inspection Point will be inaccessible to any vehicular traffic.

JBLM's Directorate of Emergency Services will incorporate the following gate schedules during the road improvement project (Aug. 28 - Sept. 22).

McChord Main Gate:  Gate remains open 24-hrs a day, 7 days a week.

McChord Barnes Gate:

Aug. 28 - Sept. 4:   Normal operation (5 a.m. to 7 p.m. / 7 days)

Sept. 5-22:  Closed

Sept. 23: Resume normal hours of operation

McChord North Gate:

Aug. 28 - Sept.1:  5 a.m. - 7 p.m. daily

Sept. 5:  Resume normal hours of operation (5 - 9 a.m. and 3-6 p.m., M-F)

Woodbrook Housing Gate:

Sept. 5-22:  5 a.m.- 7 p.m., M-F

Sept. 25:  Resume normal weekday operations (5-9 a.m. and 3 - 6 p.m., M-F)

Weekend hours will remain unchanged throughout the construction (8 a.m. - 5 p.m., Sat-Sun)

McChord East Gate:

Sept. 5-22: 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. / 7 Days

Sept. 23: Gate will close

McChord Field Commercial Vehicle Inspection Point:

Sept. 3-24: Any commercial vehicle or oversized vehicle requiring access to McChord Field will need to enter the Lewis Main portion of JBLM and cross over to McChord Field via Unity Bridge.  

Sept. 25: Gate resumes normal operations (5 a.m. to 1 p.m., Mon-Fri)

The JBLM Public Works road improvement project is scheduled to be completed Sept. 22 and the Lakewood sewer improvement project is scheduled to be completed Sept. 30. For more details concerning the Lakewood sewer improvement project, call or email Lakewood Public Works Department at (253) 589-2489, email: sewerproject@cityoflakewood.us.

Constantly on high alert, and not knowing when or where an attack might occur, serving in a deployed environment can test even the most experienced airmen. For 16 members of the 446th Aeromedical Staging Squadron, a recent deployment to Afghanistan was anything but routine.

Shortly after arriving at Craig Joint Theater Hospital at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, in mid-October 2016, citizen airmen of the 446th ASTS participated in a mass casualty exercise to help prepare them for what they might encounter during their deployment.

"The mass casualty exercises are good because it keeps us familiarized with our equipment and roles," said Senior Airman Paul Whatley, an aerospace medical technician assigned to the 446th ASTS. "It also helps with working with other branches of service in building that trust of working together."

The exercise occurred at the beginning of a new rotation of deployed medics. The purpose of this type of drill is to create a realistic scenario of an incident that may occur during a deployment to prepare each team in handling their roles.

But what they couldn't prepare for was putting those skills to the test less than two weeks later.

"I was heading to a base ‘fun-run' for Veterans Day," said Whatley. "I was running late for the run and when I arrived where the run was supposed to start, all I saw was chaos. As soon as I saw the casualties I ran back to the hospital to get ready to work."

On Nov. 12, 2016, a suicide bomber had penetrated the defenses of Bagram Airfield and blew himself up, killing four people and wounding 17 others.

"You have to be flexible, things always change in a deployed environment," said Capt. Christopher Hamel, a 446th ASTS clinical nurse and serving his fourth deployment. "Most of us in the ASTS are in the medical field outside of the Reserves. We all had to step up and fill in wherever we could."

For some, it was their first deployment and an eye-opening experience.

"It was my first deployment and one of the roles I really wasn't prepared for was providing hospital security," said Staff Sgt. Taleesha Thomas, an aerospace medical technician assigned to the 446th ASTS. "I had my rifle and body armor, but there was a lot of uncertainty. We didn't know what was happening with the attack."

After the casualties were treated, the Rainier Wing ASTS members then had to prepare them for aeromedical evacuations out of Bagram.

"After the patients were stable, a lot of the hospital staff left to go rest," said Hamel. "We had to stay behind and step back into our roles as the ASTS. Most of us ended up working more than thirty hours straight."

While no training can simulate the real thing, it works toward enabling a team to work together.

"Any mass casualty incident is hard to prepare for," said Thomas. "There was a lot of chaos at the hospital during the attack, but we were also well organized."

The 446th ASTS is constantly training at home to provide the best care for patients in a deployed environment, moving them between medical facilities on the ground and aeromedical evacuation flights.

"Our mission is to ensure that every patient that comes through our hands is cared for at the highest level -- medically, physically, professionally and mentally," said Tech Sgt. Tamie Zabroski, an aerospace medical technician assigned to the 446th ASTS. "Then we assist them in getting evacuated through the aeromedical evacuation system to the next higher level of care. We don't treat just the "wounds" but the whole person. We want to ensure that the patient is returned to duty as quickly as possible so that he or she can continue in their mission."

Mobility Guardian offered international, partner-nation opportunities including exposing aircrews to critical aeromedical evacuation patient stabilization training.

For the 446th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron, the opportunity to train with a Brazilian air crew in their Casa 295 to share knowledge about how to stabilize and transport patients using the smaller Brazilian aircraft was one of the highlights of the exercise.

"We've had a lot of international participants for Mobility Guardian," said Capt. Virginia Aguilar 446th AES healthcare administrator, "and Brazil was one we really enjoyed working with."

While the Brazilian air crew had previously performed casualty evacuation using their aircraft, they did not have experience with aeromedical evacuation that involved patient stabilization.

"The goal was to see if their aircraft could be used for future aeromedical evacuation missions based on some of the standards that we use," said Aguilar.

The 446th AES loaded their own equipment onto the aircraft to attempt to simulate an aeromedical evacuation as realistically as possible.

"We were trying to work with the Brazilians to share with them what resources they would need to transport patients," said 1st Lt. Kyoung Craddock, 446th AES flight nurse.

Working on a different airframe from the C-17 Globemaster III, AES was able to simulate operating on a Brazilian aircraft.

"We brought along our own oxygen and our own electrical equipment to try and see how we would be able to operate within their aircraft," said Capt. Grace De La Alas, 446th AES Flight Nurse.

Once the 446th AES loaded their equipment and simulated patients onto the aircraft, they flew to Fairchild Air Force Base to attempt at Engine-Running On-load (ERO).

"The goal was to be able to off-load and on-load as quickly as possible," said Alas, "to show them what we would do in an emergency situation."

EROs require a lot of oversight, including safety.

"There's much more safety oversight required to perform and ERO," said Craddock. "We do it to simulate what might need to happen in a combat environment if the pilot tells us we need get out of their as quickly as possible."

Although there were no Brazilian medical personnel on the flight, the Brazilian air crew was able to document and record much of what AES was able to share.

"It was a great experience for us," said Aguilar. It was a good brainstorming opportunity for us and we feel like both sides benefited a lot."

The opportunity to train with new equipment and exchange best practices for the purposes of advancing the readiness of U.S. allied partners has been one of the central components of Mobility Guardian.

Mobility Guardian included 54 aircraft from 11 nations and enabled personnel from 25 nations to enhance interoperability.

Crews flew approximately 1,200 hours in eight days, executing nearly 650 sorties during Exercise Mobility Guardian, July 31 to Aug. 12.

During those missions, refueling aircraft offloaded roughly 1.2 million pounds of fuel; aerial port personnel processed 3,676 passengers and 4,911 tons of equipment; and crews airdropped 356 paratroopers, 33 heavy platforms and nearly 300 Container Delivery System bundles.