NATO Air Policing operations

U.S. Air Force News

  • MQ-9 Reaper lands at Shaw AFB in historic first

    Airmen from the 50th Attack Squadron and Air National Guardsmen from the 163rd Attack Wing conducted a historic first, Feb. 14, by successfully landing an MQ-9 Reaper at Shaw Air Force Base under satellite control. 

  • AF Week in Photos

    This week's photos feature Airmen from around the globe involved in activities supporting expeditionary operations and defending America. This weekly feature showcases the men and women of the Air Force.

  • AF Week in Photos

    This week's photos feature Airmen from around the globe involved in activities supporting expeditionary operations and defending America. This weekly feature showcases the men and women of the Air Force.

  • Shaw AFB leads the way with MCA

    The MCA course provided 20th FW Airmen of various ranks from career fields such as maintenance, civil engineering and administrative services, a thorough training in support of the ACE model.

  • CSAF visits Shaw AFB

    During the visit, Brown discussed modernization, innovation, and Airmen initiatives related to efforts in the strategic plan Accelerate Change or Lose and the associated Action Orders.

  • AF Week in Photos

    This week's photos feature Airmen from around the globe involved in activities supporting expeditionary operations and defending America. This weekly feature showcases the men and women of the Air Force.

  • AF Week in Photos

    This week's photos feature Airmen from around the globe involved in activities supporting expeditionary operations and defending America. This weekly feature showcases the men and women of the Air Force.

  • AF Week in Photos

    This week's photos feature Airmen from around the globe involved in activities supporting expeditionary operations and defending America. This weekly feature showcases the men and women of the Air Force.

  • Air Combat Command names Lead Wings

    The commander of Air Combat Command has designated five units as Lead Wings as part of the combat air force’s transition to the service’s new force generation model.

  • AFMS operations during Gulf War: Operations Desert Shield, Desert Storm

    In August and September 1990, the Air Force placed the first in-theater U.S. medical facilities capable of both surgery and chemical decontamination. The first Air Force medical teams arrived in the Arabian Peninsula two days after the combat units. These teams were the main source of medical

  • CMSAF Bass visits Shaw AFB

    Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force JoAnne S. Bass spoke with Shaw Air Force Base members from multiple units including the 20th Fighter Wing, the 25th Attack Group, Ninth Air Force (Air Forces Central) and the Fifteenth Air Force at Shaw AFB, South Carolina, Nov. 16-17.

  • Air Force partnership helps rare woodpecker thrive

    The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service highlighted Department of Defense conservation efforts Sept. 25 during a ceremony at Fort Benning, Georgia, marking the proposed downlisting of the red cockaded woodpecker from “endangered” to “threatened.”

  • Task Force-Southeast supports COVID-19 fight

    Task Force-Southeast, led by Ninth Air Force, is the primary DoD support organization for the Federal Emergency Management Agency response to COVID-19 in FEMA Regions III and IV.

  • New weapons system completes first live mission

    The ground-based weapons system allows squadron members at Tinker AFB to provide command and control to both live and simulated aircraft from around the country. Only 18 of these weapons systems exist in Air Force inventory and Tinker AFB is now one of only four active-duty bases to have this

  • Air Force preps for Hurricane Dorian

    As of Sept. 3, Patrick Air Force Base, Florida, entered Hurricane Condition, or HURCON, 1, which indicates surface winds in excess of 50 knots (58 mph) could arrive in the area of Patrick AFB and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station within 12 hours. The base issued a limited evacuation order Aug. 31,

  • 609th AOC provides resilient airpower through distributed operations

    The 609th Air Operations Center, Detachment 1, at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina, supports real-world command and control operations everyday with those at U.S. Air Force Central Command at Al Udeid Air Base. Through the innovation of AFCENT Airmen, both locations refine the command and control

  • AFCENT publishes October Airpower Summary

    “Our mission is to deliver decisive air and space power on behalf of U.S. Central Command for the security and stability of the region. We do this mission proudly, alongside our international, joint and interagency partners,” said Lt. Gen. Joseph Guastella, Combined Forces Air Component commander.

  • AFCENT command and control operations weather the storm

    The force smashed into their northern and western flank, but still, the Airmen stayed focused on the U.S. Central Command mission, a fight thousands of miles away. The opposing force was no enemy, however. These Airmen of the 609th Air Operations Center, Detachment 1, Shaw Air Force Base, South

  • AFCENT changes command in historic ceremony

    Lt. Gen. Joseph T. Guastella Jr. assumed command of U.S. Air Forces Central Command from Lt. Gen. Jeffrey L. Harrigian Aug. 30, 2018. Army Gen. Joseph L. Votel, U.S. Central Command commander, presided over the ceremony, which was held at AFCENT’s forward headquarters at Al Udeid Air Base for the

  • Load crews train for deployment operations

    Imagine mission success laying on the shoulders of the individuals to your right and left. For one team of Airmen, the shortcomings of one can be catastrophic to the task at hand. These groups of professionals assigned to the 20th Maintenance Group, spanning three fighter squadrons, work in unison

  • AFCENT A1 gives time back to pre-deploying Airmen

    The U.S. Air Forces Central Command’s Manpower, Personnel and Services Directorate (A1) began the second phase of decreasing pre-deployment requirements for Airmen preparing to enter AFCENT’s area of responsibility. AFCENT Deployment Streamlining version 2.0 was released and became effective June

  • Shaw AFB Airmen earn DFC for saving 88 lives

    Col. Daniel Lasica, former 20th Fighter Wing commander, presented the Distinguished Flying Cross to Captains John Nygard and Salvador Cruz, both 79th Fighter Squadron instructor pilots, at Shaw Air Force Base, June 7, 2018.

  • Air Force transitions to a single combat uniform

    Air Force leaders announced the service will move to a single combat utility uniform, adopting the Operational Camouflage Pattern, or OCP, already in use by the Army and Airmen in combat zones and in certain jobs across the Air Force.

  • Little guy, big fixed heart: part II

    When Ashley and Tech. Sgt. Ben Mockovciak, 372nd Training Squadron Detachment 202 F-16 tactical aircraft maintenance instructor, learned their son Noah, barely one month old, had experienced a heart attack, their world was turned upside down.

  • Little guy, big fixed heart: part I

    When Ashley and Tech. Sgt. Ben Mockovciak learned they would soon be parents, they were overwhelmed with the exciting idea of welcoming a healthy, beautiful child into their family.

  • Airman lunges for knockout debut

    A Florida native, Tech. Sgt. Andre Penn, 20th Civil Engineer Squadron unaccompanied housing manager at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina, has been preparing for more than a decade to achieve his dream of becoming a professional boxer.

  • Defying odds: An Airman’s focused journey

    It is 5 a.m. and the sun has yet to rise on a chilly morning where all that can be heard are the crickets chirping at the Main Fitness Center at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina. Inside, however, the clacking and grunts of those pushing their bodies to their limits fills the room as Staff Sgt.

  • Airfield systems Airmen prepare for AFSC merge

    Airmen assigned to the 20th Operations Support Squadron at Shaw Air Force Base are getting ahead of the curve by preparing for an Air Force specialty code merger scheduled for November 2017.

  • Airman battles tumor, exemplifies resilience

    Staff Sgt. Jennifer Gordon, 20th Security Forces Squadron plans, programs and policy technician, passed all her physical training tests but one.That one test failure while stationed at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana, led to the discovery of a tumor in 2014.

  • AF Week in Photos

    This week's photos feature Airmen from around the globe involved in activities supporting expeditionary operations and defending America. This weekly feature showcases the men and women of the Air Force.

  • AF Week in Photos

    This week's photos feature Airmen from around the globe involved in activities supporting expeditionary operations and defending America. This weekly feature showcases the men and women of the Air Force.

  • Colonel promotes wife, then retires

    When military members hold their promotion ceremonies, many times their families enjoy the occasion alongside them. Spouses, children, parents, siblings and other relatives witness the time-honored ceremony and take part in the tradition of pinning or tacking on the next rank.

  • AF Week in Photos

    This week's photos feature Airmen from around the globe involved in activities supporting expeditionary operations and defending America. This weekly feature showcases the men and women of the Air Force.

  • AF Week in Photos

    This week's photos feature Airmen from around the globe involved in activities supporting expeditionary operations and defending America. This weekly feature showcases the men and women of the Air Force.

  • From cadets to colonels: Wingmen for life

    Filing into a barber shop in 1989, a group of college freshmen prepare for the Cadet Corps program at Texas A&M University, College Station by receiving the traditional rites during their transition from civilian to military: a buzz cut.Physical training, formations and university classrooms were

  • Finding a way to win

    It was a temperate day at Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan when Lt. Col. Craig Andrle and his wingman, Capt. Adam Fuhrmann, began walking across the flightline to their soon-to-be airborne F-16CM Fighting Falcons.

  • 9th AF provides first Rear Mission Support Element training

    Sixty Airmen who completed the first two official Air Force Rear Mission Support Element training courses are participating in War Fighter Exercise 17-4 at Fort Hood, Texas, through April 12. The exercise is part of their deployment training to support operations at Combined Joint Task

  • MWD retires, reunited with wingman

    In 2012, Staff Sgt. Anthony Despins, a 20th Security Forces Squadron military working dog handler, met Jony, his first canine partner.Together the two used their individual skill sets to make a formidable team, certified as an explosives detection and patrol unit to keep people around the world safe

  • My miles have meaning

    For Senior Airman Michael Hall, a 20th Aerospace Medicine Squadron flight and operation medical technician, the 3.1 miles of this “fun run” are hardly the most difficult obstacle he has faced through the years.

  • 20th FW kicks off Red Flag 17-2 at Nellis

    The U.S. Air Force’s two-week premier air-to-air combat training exercise Red Flag 17-2 began Feb. 27, 2017 and will conclude March 10.Held multiple times each year on the vast bombing and gunnery ranges of the 2.9 million acre Nevada Test and Training Range, Red Flag is a realistic combat training

  • The gift of a lifetime

    Twenty-two people die each day waiting for an organ transplant, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Currently, there are more than 119,000 men, women and children on the national waiting list; every 10 minutes another person is added, lengthening the list every year.

  • New repair process offers success

    With the mission of the U.S. Air Force constantly evolving, the aircraft which keep that mission alive need to evolve as well.

  • Airman finds potential through EPR

    Enlisted performance reports have the power to affect an Airman’s career. For one Airman, an EPR had the power to change how he saw his life. Staff Sgt. Preston Moten, a 20th Equipment Maintenance Squadron aerospace ground equipment schedule and training monitor, said the rating from his first EPR

  • Scoping it out: Shaw evaluated for Reaper mission

    Teams from Air Combat Command and Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, conducted a site survey at Shaw AFB Dec. 13, to assess the base as a candidate for an MQ-9 Reaper mission.Shaw AFB is one of four installations being evaluated for a wing-level mission, and one of five in the running for a

  • Civilians take the oath

    Just as service members around the country have raised their right hands and taken the oath to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic,” so have the civilians who work alongside them.

  • Tyndall host Checkered Flag, Combat Archer

    The skies over Tyndall Air Force Base will soon be filled with a variety of aircraft as they partake in Checkered Flag 17-1 and Combat Archer 17-3, concurrent large-scale total force aerial integration exercises that will run Dec. 5-16.

  • New commander takes charge of AFCENT

    Lt. Gen. Jeffrey L. Harrigian assumed command of U.S. Air Forces Central Command from Lt. Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. during a ceremony at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina, July 22.

  • No second chances: AFE Airmen ensure pilot safety

    Pilots rush into the locker room, preparing for another day of flying. Laughing and joking, they throw on their gear and grab their helmets. To them, it's just another day, but the Airmen that serviced their equipment look on slightly anxiously as they see the pilots walk out the door to their

  • Shaw Airmen support flood-stricken communities

    When Hurricane Joaquin moved near the East Coast early October, the storm dumped record rainfall on South Carolina for six days, causing severe flooding across the state. In response, Shaw Air Force Base organizations assisted local communities, providing disaster relief to those affected by the

  • Motivated by education, opportunity: Airman finds second home with AF

    Many words are used to describe the United States; some call it the land of plenty, freedom or equality, but at least one Airman regards it as the land of opportunity.Airman 1st Class Bin Ma, a 20th Comptroller Squadron financial services technician, departed Wuhan, China, in 2008 to start his

  • 20th CES wins conservation award

    The 20th Civil Engineer Squadron installation management flight at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina, was awarded the General Thomas D. White Natural Resources Conservation Award in the large base installation category.

  • Living museum: Airman preserves AF uniforms

    Walking through the 20th Maintenance Group building, it would be appropriate to stop and gaze into the office of one senior leader there. Eyes would be greeted with several mannequins wearing different shades of green and blue, each decorated with metals and ribbons.For most of his life, Lt. Col.

  • OSI agents committed to the challenge

    To a select group of special agents assigned to Air Force Office of Special Investigations Detachment 212 at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina, it is an honor to commit their time as peace-keepers of the Air Force.

  • Poinsett Range: the environmental mission

    The Poinsett Electronic Combat Range, previously called Poinsett Bombing Range, opened in 1952 to be used as a real-world training range for military personnel.

  • Under pressure: Crew chiefs take mission in stride

    Tools clang and the clock ticks as time narrows, several pairs of grease-stained boots can be seen darting back and forth beneath a lifeless fighter jet as Airmen work relentlessly to repair their bird for flight.

  • British pilot soars among Yankees

    As they gather for a routine flight briefing they appear the same: same flight suit, same gear, same mission. Upon further inspection it becomes clear that one of these pilots is not exactly like the others.

  • Shaw AFB firefighters awarded DOD level honor

    Tech. Sgt. Joseph Charleston, the 20th CES station captain, and Senior Airman Boyd Korb, a 20th CES firefighter, were directly responsible for the lifesaving rescue of a downed civilian firefighter in Sumter, S.C.The Airmen received awards at the Air Combat Command and Air Force levels before going