Top Air Force leaders announced this week that airmen will only be required to undergo a standards and readiness review once a year, backtracking on a move earlier this year to hold those reviews quarterly.
Acting Vice Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Scott Pleus said in a Wednesday memo, which was posted on the unofficial Facebook page Air Force amn/nco/snco and confirmed as genuine by the Air Force, that unit commanders will start holding annual reviews beginning in 2026.
The unit commander will have the discretion to choose what uniform airmen will wear during the reviews, Pleus’ memo said. Unit commanders or their designated representatives will review an airman’s overall readiness — such as by checking to make sure they have conducted their required physical fitness evaluation — and check to make sure their dress and personal appearance are up to military standards.
Air and Space Forces Magazine reported earlier this year that on Jan. 30, Pleus issued a memo ordering unit commanders to start holding quarterly reviews, beginning in the first quarter of 2025. At least one of those reviews was mandated to be in an airmen’s full service dress uniform, and another would be in an operational camouflage pattern uniform. The first memo was sent before Pleus, who is officially the Air Force’s director of staff, was made acting vice chief.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has emphasized the need to adhere to military grooming and fitness standards since he took charge at the Pentagon in January.
Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force David Wolfe confirmed the change in a social media post on Thursday, which hinted at dissatisfaction in the ranks over having quarterly reviews.
“We’ve heard your feedback from the field, and we listened,” Wolfe said about the change to annual reviews. “This change reflects confidence in our leaders to know their airmen, manage readiness, and address issues on the daily, not just during a scheduled review.
“Annual reviews will balance the time and energy we spend to focus on what matters most: the mission and our people,” Wolfe continued.
Stephen Losey is the air warfare reporter for Defense News. He previously covered leadership and personnel issues at Air Force Times, and the Pentagon, special operations and air warfare at Military.com. He has traveled to the Middle East to cover U.S. Air Force operations.
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