â Only ticks that are attached and have finished feeding or are near the end of their meal can transmit Lyme disease. After arriving on the skin, the tick that spreads Lyme disease usually takes 24 hours before feeding begins. â Even if a tick is attached, it must have taken a blood meal to transmit Lyme disease.
All this in a period when the Air Force is the smallest and oldest since its inception in 1947. Of its roughly 5,000 aircraft, the average age is twenty-five years old. Todayâs Air Force is already struggling, and tomorrowâs is entirely at risk.
The minimum age required to join the Air Force or other branches of the U.S. military is 17 with parental consent or 18 without parental consent. Other branches of the U.S. military, including the Army, Marines, Navy and Coast Guard, have their own maximum age requirements. The branches grant age waivers on a case-by-case basis.