NATO Air Policing operations

U.S. Air Force News

  • Security forces defend Ali Al Salem from drones

    U.S. Air Force and U.S. Army assets have been bolstering their c-SUAS efforts, which has helped develop seminars to provide leadership with guidance on how the 386th ESFS is countering drone threats.

  • Hanscom AFB mourns loss of Airman

    Senior Airman Jason “Khai” Phan was deployed to Kuwait with the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing’s SFS in support of Operation Inherent Resolve.

  • Open for business: Airmen discuss contract opportunities with Kuwaitis

    The event, sponsored by the U.S. Embassy in Kuwait, is a joint effort among the U.S. Department of Commerce, the American Business Council – Kuwait, the U.S. Army’s 408th Contracting Support Brigade from Camp Arifjan and the U.S. Air Force’s 386th Expeditionary Contracting Squadron.

  • Combat metals: The modern-day blacksmiths

    While there are a lot of precautionary measures in place to prevent bird strikes and other aircraft incidents, they are not 100 percent preventable.When these incidents occur, there’s a small group of Airmen who are called upon to do patchwork to get the aircraft back to base and to fix the damage

  • JCAT Airman uses combat forensics to evolve the AFCENT mission

    The ideal outcome of any conflict is to achieve victory and come out the other side unscathed. However, an undesired outcome does not mean lessons cannot be learned and applied for future conflicts. The United States military has used this mentality since its inception and applies it today in the

  • Augmenting the AOR: Cable Dawgs connect service members to the fight

    Communications, in some shape or form, touch every single part of the Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve mission. From advanced air-strike capabilities to a simple phone call home; a simple fiber cable, often less than .05 millimeters in diameter, can change a missed opportunity

  • USDA net system reduces aviation bird strikes

    The U.S. Department of Agriculture works with safety teams around the Air Force to limit the presence of birds on and around airfields to protect aircraft from bird strikes, an issue that costs the Air Force millions of dollars every year in damages.

  • K9 handler learns from her canine student

    Senior Airman Nicole Meyer, 386th Expeditionary Security Force Squadron military working dog handler, deployed from Moody Air Force Base, Georgia, waits patiently and reassures him the training will begin soon.

  • Communication on demand

    The 386th Expeditionary Communications Squadron trains with a communication fly-away kit for these what-if scenarios.

  • Sortie support team delivers decisive air power

    The 386th Expeditionary Maintenance Squadron Sortie Support Flight is made up of four flightline occupations, or Air Force specialty codes, that contribute to Operation Inherent Resolve. The team issues, maintains and inspects required repair tools and support equipment needed to deliver decisive

  • Delivering MRAPs safely downrange

    Delivering mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles downrange to U.S. troops is vital to their safety and overall mission success. Logistics Airmen at the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing show their commitment to making this happen safely every day.

  • Year-end review: 386th AEW remembers banner year

    As the world celebrated the passing of another year, and looked to the future with optimistic hope, the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing, and its leadership, reflected on its accomplishments.

  • Deployed parents see their children open toys

    Master Sgt. Shalenna Mitchell, 386th Air Expeditionary Wing finance budget analyst and Tech. Sgt. Randle Mitchell, 386th Expeditionary Civil Engineering Squadron assistant chief of fire prevention, share their experiences and feelings during the holiday season while deployed at an undisclosed

  • Viper Patrol first layer of defense downrange

    Defenders of the 386th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron stand ready to protect lives and secure the installation in a deployed environment by going outside the wire each day as part of Viper Patrol.

  • 386th AEW MOC gatekeeper of a broader scope

    The Airmen of the maintenance operations center are responsible for recording the mission capabilities of all aircraft under the 386th AEW purview. The information gathered helps analysts determine trends in aircraft maintenance needs, creating opportunities to preclude long-term problems. The

  • Innovative PT program increases readiness downrange

    With the help of a colleague, Capt. Eric Walter, 386th Expeditionary Medical Group physical therapy element chief, has developed a proactive approach to physical therapy at an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia.

  • 386th AEW celebrates 75 years of history

    On Dec. 1, 2017, the 386th BG, now the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing, celebrates its 75th birthday; a journey that started at MacDill Air Field, Tampa, Florida, in 1942 and continues to this day at an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia.

  • Interfaith Thanksgiving: Chief of Chaplains provides words of grace

    On Nov. 28, 1861, President Abraham Lincoln ordered the government closed in a proclamation stating: “It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People. I do therefore invite my fellow

  • Air Guard dual mission: helping at home and abroad

    Not long ago, Airmen from the 158th Airlift Squadron, Savannah, Georgia, were delivering supplies with their fleet of C-130H Hercules to hurricane victims in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. But just a few weeks later, they find themselves on the other side of the world in Southwest Asia

  • Mental health expands services, reaches more Airmen

    The 386th Expeditionary Medical Group, with support from the 386th Expeditionary Operation Group, expanded mental health services recently to Airmen at an undisclosed location supporting ongoing operations in Syria.

  • Managing pests, keeping the mission going

    The goal for pest management and entomology is to keep the bases insect, rodent and feral animal population at a manageable level, Argo said. To do this they use a variety of control measures, everything from setting up traps for feral animals, the use of rodenticides and pesticides to utilizing

  • Brother’s in life, brother’s in-arms reunite downrange

    Saying goodbye to family members before a deployment can be stressful. But rarely does a service member cross paths with a sibling while deployed downrange; this recent uplifting experience was the case for two brothers, both serving in the military on separate paths.

  • 386th AEW completes first flight of Block 5 MQ-9

    The 386th Air Expeditionary Wing successfully completed its first combat mission with the latest version of the MQ-9 Reaper in support of Operation Inherent Resolve.The wing’s remotely piloted aircraft unit, the 46th Expeditionary Attack Squadron, transitioned its attack and reconnaissance airframes

  • 386th ESFS trains for high risk response

    At any given moment, the 386th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron stands ready to protect, defend and fight against all threats to the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing. Among those men and women who guard the wing’s high valued assets and people, is a newly formed group of defenders who dedicate

  • POL troops fuel the fight against ISIS

    Much like day-to-day life in modern society, the military relies on fuels to power its ground and air operations. The fuels management section of the 386th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron is tasked with the control, distribution and testing of the mission essential fuels that keep the

  • Air Force, Army partnership feeds the warfighter

    The 386th Air Expeditionary Wing plays a major logistical role in delivering critical supplies to the frontlines in the war against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. One of the ways the 386th AEW supports the Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve mission is by conducting airdrops

  • Civil engineers make critical runway repairs, keep missions moving

    Maintaining an airfield is never an easy task, especially when it’s one of the busiest in the U.S. Air Forces Central Command area of responsibility. Responsible for making critical runway repairs, the 386th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron’s heavy equipment operator team ensures that the 386th

  • Time Tested: Airman serves 21 years on same aircraft

    Since entering active military service in 1956, the C-130 Hercules has earned its place in the storied history of air power, time and time again. From Vietnam all the way up through Operation Inherent Resolve, the C-130 has always made a name for itself by providing critical airlift.For Master Sgt.

  • SecAF, CSAF visit 386 AEW, talk top priorities with Airmen

    Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David L. Goldfein visited the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing at an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia Aug. 19-20, 2017, to talk top priorities with Airmen.

  • ATOC works around the clock to keep cargo and personnel moving

    Maintaining the inbound and outbound movement of cargo and personnel in support of Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve requires careful coordination between a multitude of entities. In order for the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing to effectively complete its mission and deliver

  • USAFA cadets train for future at 386th AEW

    Each summer, rising juniors at the U.S. Air Force Academy travel to military bases across the globe to get a first-hand look at how support and operational functions work together to accomplish a wing’s mission. This year, the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing hosted approximately twenty cadets as part

  • 386 AEW mental health team builds bonds, shatters stigmas

    It can start with a simple conversation. “How are you?” “Yeah, I bet you see some crazy stuff at your job.” “That must have been really hard for you to process.” What at first seems like a run-of-the-mill conversation, stemming from a friendly visit, is more than meets the eye. It is a check-in. It

  • Physical therapists keep service members fit to fight

    In a deployed environment, injuries happen. Whether they occur in the performance of duty or through the course of physical exercise, they have the potential to impact the mission. Each individual in the military, and their ability to perform their duties, plays an important role in the success of

  • 386th AEW Honor Guard braves the elements, honors the past

    “The level in which I perform will never be dictated by the type of ceremony, the severity of the temperature, nor the size of the crowd.” This, the fifth line of the honor guard creed, takes on a significant meaning in a location where triple-digit heat is common. It was the stern reminder used by

  • Around the Air Force: Dec. 28

    On this look around the Air Force, Airmen from the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing prepare meals for forward deployed service members and B-52s conduct combined joint operations. Hosted by Staff Sgt. Nicholas Koetz.

  • Combat weather forecasters help keep pilots out of harm’s way

    It’s a tough job trying to predict Mother Nature and when it comes to weather, everyone’s a critic. Thinking the day holds nothing but sun and your picnic gets rained out can be aggravating. Now try to tell a pilot he can’t fly because the weather patterns shifted. This dilemma is something deployed