HomeNews

NATO Air Policing operations

U.S. Air Force News

  • Grone: BRAC 2005 important for many reasons

    Base Realignment and Closure 2005 is in full swing and this round is important for many reasons, said Philip Grone, deputy undersecretary of defense for installations and environment.To support ongoing force transformation, to improve the joint use of Department of Defense assets and to convert

  • Two chiefs, one marriage, love for Air Force

    In a small farming town near what was then Loring Air Force Base, Maine, 18-year-old Roger Sirois made a decision. What he did not know was it would lead him and his high-school sweetheart on a 25-year personal and professional journey. In 1980, Roger asked his girlfriend, Lisa Warrington, to

  • Airmen keep B-2 Spirits safe

    The B-2 Spirit bomber’s capabilities to penetrate an enemy's most sophisticated defenses and threaten its most heavily defended targets depend on Airmen who help maintain the aircraft’s stealth characteristic. Mechanics deployed from the 509th Maintenance Squadron’s low observable section apply

  • Airman’s life-altering decision takes turn for the better

    Before Airman 1st Class Shannon Cavasos enlisted in the Air Force, she was at a crossroads in her life.With high-school graduation on the horizon, the Midland, Texas, native lived alone her senior year after her mother moved away. Her mom sent her small checks to cover bills while she cleaned

  • EOD protects people from explosive hazards

    Putting their lives on the line, sweating in heavy bomb suits, lugging cumbersome equipment, working with robots and occasionally blowing things up is all part of the job for Airmen with the explosive ordnance disposal unit here.“I enjoy my job. I get to blow stuff up,” said Senior Airman Chris

  • Ship takes heroic legacy to the fight

    A fallen Air Force hero from Pope Air Force Base, N.C., was honored April 8 at the Military Ocean Terminal here. A Navy cargo ship was named for Air Force Cross recipient Tech. Sgt. John Chapman.The combat controller’s legacy will live on as the Motor Vessel Tech. Sgt. John A. Chapman carries

  • Contact lens wear discouraged on deployments

    Blowing sand, smoke and fine dust particles are an eyeball’s worst nightmare. Now imagine holding up your unit because you have “something in your eye.” This type of scenario is exactly what optometrists said they fear most when Airmen wear contact lenses instead of their glasses while working in a

  • Vehicle maintainers keep Balad moving

    People here rely on hundreds of vehicles every day to accomplish the mission, and the Airmen of the 332nd Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron’s vehicle maintenance section are responsible for keeping those vehicles on the road.“We have more than 800 vehicles in our fleet,” said Chief Master

  • Airmen help improve B-2 aircraft maintenance in Guam

    Airmen from the 509th Bomb Wing at Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo., are helping improve aircraft maintenance for future rotations of B-2 Spirit bombers worldwide during a deployment here. “Our deployment is going fairly well, but there have been some unique maintenance challenges for us here,” said

  • New campaign medals recognize Iraq, Afghanistan service

    Two new campaign medals announced April 7 recognize servicemembers for their contributions in Iraq and Afghanistan.Defense Department officials announced the Afghanistan Campaign Medal and Iraq Campaign Medal for servicemembers who directly supported Operation Enduring Freedom between Oct. 24, 2001,

  • Air Force aggressively meeting challenges

    The two senior leaders of the Air Force spoke April 6 on Capitol Hill about budget cuts, the service's commitment to meeting end-strength requirements, total-force integration and fleet recapitalization. During testimony before the Senate Appropriations Committee subcommittee on defense, Michael L.

  • Official details DOD efforts to transform, retain quality force

    Defense Department officials are working to reduce stress on the force and negate the need for more people in uniform, a top official said here April 6.“Transformation of how the U.S. military is structured … is the biggest way in which the department is working to reduce demand on U.S. forces,”

  • Navy to name ship in honor of fallen Airman

    The Navy will rename one of its cargo ships April 8 after an Air Force combat controller from the 24th Special Tactics Squadron at Pope Air Force Base, N.C.A 670-foot cargo ship in the Navy's Military Sealift Command, currently named Motor Vessel Merlin, will be renamed MV Tech. Sgt. John

  • Security forces receive realistic deployment training

    Crawling around the wet grass in England may not, at first glance, compare much to being in hostile territory. But for 13 Airmen of the 100th Security Forces Squadron here, it felt pretty real.Spending 12 to 15 hours each day for five days at the training complex here, Airmen rode around in Humvees

  • Little Rock receives second C-130J

    The Air Force's second active-duty J-model C-130 Hercules joined the other in the 314th Airlift Wing fleet here April 5.Flown by Lt. Gen. John Baker, Air Mobility Command vice commander, the aircraft is assigned to the 48th Airlift Squadron, which has been training aircrews to fly it since February

  • PT still mandatory for those on profile

    Many Airmen believe being on profile is an escape route from participating in unit physical training, but officials here said it is not.“Just because a (person) has a profile that says ‘no running, jumping, crunches, push-ups, and no cycle ergo’ does not mean that the (Airman) cannot go to the

  • Modified game show prepares Airmen for ORI

    The answer was, “The upper receiver, the lower receiver and bolt receiver,” but the question eluded the runner-up team during an operational readiness inspection “Jeopardy” tournament here.“I wish I had known the three parts of an M-16,” said Senior Airman Sarah Rogers, a crypto-maintenance

  • QDR to address transformation of U.S. nuclear arsenal

    Today’s U.S. nuclear arsenal is too outdated and costly to maintain for use in deterring threats in the post-Cold War era, a senior officer told a Senate subcommittee April 4.“It is our intent to have the upcoming Quadrennial Defense Review address nuclear issues and the associated infrastructure to

  • Airman teaches Soldiers to call for CAS

    "Continue dry," crackled through the radio as Army Spc. Jarrod Stranahan guided British pilots onto a target.Specialist Stranahan, a forward observer for the 5th Infantry Regiment, is one of 20 Soldiers who participated in emergency close-air-support training at here recently.Infantry units are

  • Airman receives national engineer award

    An Airman here was selected by Society of American Military Engineers officials to receive the society's president's medal.Col. Josuelito Worrell, director of the engineering support directorate for the Air Force Civil Engineer Support Agency, will receive the award for outstanding leadership and

  • Hurlburt Airmen bring space power to Joint Red Flag

    U.S. space forces are using their knowledge of joint and interagency operations to adapt to an ever-changing battlefield during Joint Red Flag 2005, an exercise aimed at improving joint training and experimentation capabilities among U.S. and coalition forces.Air Force space capabilities have long

  • Air Force announces media contest winners

    A panel of civilian journalists, teachers and public relations professionals selected the best in Air Force print and broadcast journalism for the 48th annual Air Force Media Contest. The winners were announced March 31. Geoff Janes, from the 78th Air Base Wing at Robins Air Force Base, Ga., is the

  • Final Joint STARS aircraft delivered

    Officials from the Electronic Systems Center at Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass., delivered the 17th and final E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System aircraft to the 116th Air Control Wing at Robins AFB, Ga., on March 23.The wing is the only unit to fly the aircraft. The Joint STARS

  • Pilots give feedback on F-16 upgrade

    F-16 Fighting Falcon pilots from Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., were here recently to give feedback to members of the F-16 Systems Group on upgrades made to the aircraft.Lt. Col. John Montgomery, 55th Fighter Squadron commander, and Capt. Jim Govin, a 55th FS pilot, flew two of the newly modified F-16s

  • Officials announce Air Force comptroller awards

    Air Force financial management officials announced the winners of the 2004 financial management and comptroller awards.They are:Financial Management and Comptroller: -- Organization, 347th Comptroller Squadron at Moody Air Force Base, Ga. -- Individual, Lt. Col. Trent Edwards of the 92nd Air

  • Academy honors distinguished graduates

    Contributions to the Air Force and nation have earned two Air Force Academy graduates the academy’s distinguished graduate awards.Retired Col. Frederick Gregory and retired Gen. Ronald W. Yates have earned the 2004 Distinguished Graduate Award. The awards will be presented on behalf of the academy

  • OSI keeps Baghdad Airmen, Soldiers safe

    Force Protection. To many Airmen, it means fishing for identification, showing it to the gate guard, and then going to work for a 12-hour shift. To the special agents of Air Force Office of Special Investigations Detachment 2408, force protection encompasses a range of discreet, 24-hour operations

  • Myers speaks to ROTC cadets of integrity, commitment

    The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff left the Arnold Air Society/Silver Wings National Convention here March 28 more confident than ever about the future of America’s military.About 1,500 ROTC cadets and civilians from around the country listened as Gen. Richard B. Myers spoke of the challenges

  • Officials announce contracting awards

    Air Force officials announced the winners of the 2004 contracting awards.They are:Secretary of the Air Force Professionalism in Contracting: -- Supervisory, Christine Clark of the Warner Robins Air Logistics Center at Robins Air Force Base, Ga.-- Nonsupervisory, Suzanne White of the 50th

  • Unit deployment managers ensure readiness

    Described by officials as the squadron lifeline to deployment processes anywhere, unit deployment managers are tasked with ensuring their unit’s troops and cargo are ready for deployment.“Ask any commander who has a deployment mission, and they will tell you their UDM is invaluable,” said Lt. Col.

  • Iraqi Freedom deployments help Airmen understand war

    For Tech. Sgt. Aaron Otte and Staff Sgt. Ron Beard, both security forces Airmen assigned to the 416th Expeditionary Mission Support Squadron security forces flight and deployed here from Hill Air Force Base, Utah, supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom on past deployments is something they said they

  • Maintainers keep Stratotankers airborne

    A KC-135 Stratotanker is considered a support aircraft in the war on terrorism, but for many members of the 340th Aircraft Maintenance Unit, that is an understatement.Tasked with the responsibility of keeping Air Force, sister service and coalition aircraft refueled and flying, these Grand Forks Air

  • Military dogs dig into security

    Not all Air Force equipment has engines, wings or even operating instructions. One unit here is responsible for equipment that has a mouth packed with sharp teeth and a hide of fur.“Osan has the largest operational dog kennel in the Air Force,” said Tech. Sgt. Jerry Woodard, 51st Security Forces

  • Deployed Airmen take on a different enemy

    The hum of C-130 Hercules resonated throughout a base at a forward-deployed location as the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing’s mission of putting boots on the ground in Iraq continued.However, more than 300 Airmen took time from their duties to battle another enemy when they participated in a Relay for

  • Combat communicators provide more than ‘terabyte’ of support

    If you ask Staff Sgt. Brandon Miranda what a “terabyte” is, the communications-computer systems operations journeyman with the 416th Expeditionary Mission Support Squadron communications flight here will tell you it is a computer server that can store more than 1,000 gigabytes.For the nearly 1,000

  • Exercises prepare Airmen for deployment

    The Air and Space Expeditionary Force Center here nominates sourcing for about 38 exercises each year so Airmen can exercise their deployment capabilities before actually deploying, officials said.Exercises provide a realistic contingency environment to familiarize combat operation forces and

  • AFIT graduates Class of 2005

    More than 230 scientists and engineers received graduate and doctorate degrees from the Air Force Institute of Technology here March 21. AFIT’s Graduate School of Engineering and Management held its 2005 graduation ceremony at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force. The graduating class was

  • College tests offered for Airmen manning internment camp

    Armored Humvees roll in and out of here several times a day escorting supply convoys. But they brought a unique passenger and cargo to this remote outpost March 17.The passenger was Staff Sgt. Alan Smith, 386th Air Expeditionary Wing test control officer. His cargo was a box full of College Level

  • Services work together, keep convoys off streets

    As Operation Iraqi Freedom continues, American servicemembers are put in harm’s way daily. The Department of Defense’s various services are working together to make Iraq a safer place for the servicemembers. This is the primary thinking behind the Tanker Air Lift Control Element, a mostly Air

  • Officials announce Air Force safety awards

    Air Force safety officials announced the winners of the 2004 safety awards.They are:-- Secretary of the Air Force Safety Award: Category I, U.S. Air Forces in Europe at Ramstein Air Base, Germany; Category II, Air Force Academy, Colo. -- Maj. Gen. Benjamin D. Foulois Memorial Award: Air Combat

  • Special ops request funding to modernize, transform

    A continued need for modernization and transformation of special operations forces brought that community’s leaders to Capitol Hill on March 17 to testify on their portion of the president’s military spending request.The fiscal 2006 defense budget request that President Bush submitted to Congress

  • Creek Defender convoy prepares security forces Airmen

    Airmen of the 786th Security Forces Squadron here proved their grit alongside more than 80 U.S. Air Forces in Europe security forces Airmen at a convoy and static position live-fire event March 14 at a training range in nearby Baumholder.The Creek Defender exercise primed the participants for

  • Air Force seeks Airmen for detainee operations

    The Air Force needs about 100 enlisted Airmen to serve in Iraq as interrogators, analysts, and command and control specialists later this year.Eligible volunteers from across the total force, who want to serve at the forefront of the war on terror, must be sharp and meet certain qualifications,

  • Predator fleet to expand

    Air Force officials plan to expand the current Predator Unmanned Aerial Vehicle fleet to as many as 15 squadrons.This increase, announced March 18, is in response to the escalating demand for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capability in the war on terrorism. The plans are intended to

  • DOD programs ease force stress without hiking end strength

    Ongoing Defense Department transformation initiatives are designed to relieve force stress without increasing the number of military forces, a senior defense official told House Armed Services Committee members March 16.“By focusing attention on efforts to reduce stress on our forces, we believe we

  • Kadena children get deployment experience

    With a mobility bag slung heavily over one shoulder, the petite “Tech. Sgt.” Natasha Dumpert stands in a deployment line waiting for her immunizations before setting off for a deployment to Iraq.Oh, by the way, Natasha is 8-years-old and her immunizations are jellybeans.Natasha, along with more than

  • Personnel records to stay at AFPC

    Airmen who retire or separate don't have to wait several months to receive requested copies of certain records because of a recent change in how the Air Force maintains personnel records.The 49-year-old practice of sending nearly 5,500 personnel records each month to the National Personnel Records

  • Airmen keep Iraqi airways clear

    As 1st Lt. Damian Wanliss enters his cold, dark office, dimly lit by the green glare of the screen ahead, he takes a deep breath and anticipates another day of directing traffic in the chaotic Iraqi sky.The lieutenant, a 727th Expeditionary Air Control Squadron weapons control officer, is just one

  • BRAC turned out to be good news for Texas capital

    Though the fear of losing jobs and revenue grips nearby cities and towns when the Defense Department decides to close a military installation, the bad news can be made good.Such was the case when Bergstrom Air Force Base here closed in 1993, its fate sealed by the 1991 Base Realignment and Closure

  • Escorts serve as base’s second line of defense

    They come from different career fields, but while deployed, they come together to serve as a critical line of defense for the base.Deployed Airmen throughout U.S. Central Command’s area of responsibility serve as escorts to foreign workers daily. The program falls under each base’s expeditionary

  • C-130 crew delivers cargo, morale to remote locations

    When Soldiers, Sailors or Marines need something moved, C-130 Hercules crews here answer the call, and recently, that request took one 746th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron crew to Africa and beyond.Their cargo ranged from helicopter rotors to medical supplies to personal mail. Their mission was to

  • Task force aims to prevent sexual assault

    Everyone has a role in preventing and responding to sexual assault, said the commander of the Joint Task Force on Sexual Assault Prevention and Response during her remarks at a women’s history luncheon here.Brig. Gen. K.C. McClain assumed command in October 2004. The task force is establishing

  • Troops become U.S. citizens during Bush library ceremony

    It’s been a long time coming, but U.S. Army Spc. Arafat Khaskheli, who was born in Saudi Arabia but whose nationality is Pakistani, can finally say that he is truly an American.“The feeling is really great, I’ve waited for this a long time,” Specialist Khaskheli, 28, of Fort Hood, Texas, said March

  • Communities affected by BRAC have transition partner

    As the next round of base realignment and closure looms on the horizon, officials at the office of economic adjustment stand ready to assist affected communities.The office’s role is to help communities affected by Defense Department program changes, said Patrick O’Brien, the office’s director. That

  • Technicians use aircraft wreckage for testing

    After 11 years of service as a flight trainer, a T-1A Jayhawk aircraft is joining the Aeronautical Systems Center here.The aircraft, although damaged past the point of repair, still has its avionics and other subsystems intact, along with most of its fuselage. Technicians in the center’s training

  • Health officials recommend changes to fitness program

    Air Force health officials recommended seven changes to the fitness program during the program’s first annual review.This first annual assessment consists of reviews by three panels: functional, external and leadership, said Lt. Col. Sherry Sasser, chief of health promotions for the Air Force

  • Pilots make long commute to Global Hawk University

    For Global Hawk pilots, training is a little like going to a university with a large main campus and an extension campus a few miles away -- make that half a world away.While that is one heck of a commute, it is necessary because the Global Hawk, an unmanned aerial vehicle used to provide real-time

  • Air Force surgeon general testifies on four health effects

    The Air Force surgeon general spoke before Congress on March 3 on the state of medical care for servicemembers serving in the war on terrorism. Air Force Surgeon General Lt. Gen. (Dr.) George Peach Taylor Jr. told members of the House Armed Services Committee subcommittee on military personnel that

  • Good vibrations, music lends healing hand

    Have you ever found yourself tapping your foot or bobbing your head when listening to upbeat music? It is nearly impossible for most of us to sit perfectly still when we hear a beat we like. Similarly, a softer, slower rhythm can be calming and relaxing. These involuntary motor responses to

  • GPS satellites help outdoor hobbyists link up

    The coordinates N 47 degrees 12.595 W 110 degrees 55.990 mean very little to most people, but to a group of hunters know as “geocachers,” it is the beginning of an adventure that starts on a nearby mountainside and ends with a hidden treasure in the belly of a state park.Geocaching is a sport where

  • Wing warping could change shape of future aircraft

    An experimental flexible-wing jet has embarked on a final phase of flights over Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., to demonstrate wing warping performance advantages for future aircraft.During the final phase, which began in December and is expected to be completed in April, a modified Navy F/A-18A

  • Air Force reaches privatization milestone

    The Air Force recently surpassed the 10,000-home milestone in its military family housing privatization program. In February, Air Force officials closed a deal privatizing more than 1,300 homes at Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii. This means the Air Force now has more than 10,900 privatized homes.

  • Airmen ready to snag an Eagle

    The Airmen of the 386th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron power production flight ensure there is plenty of electricity to power facilities here. However, another crucial aspect of their job is maintaining and operating the mechanical system that stops problem aircraft on the runway. During

  • Exercises test mobilization process

    Air Force officials will kick off a "push-pull" mobilization test March 10."Push-pull" is the process used to quickly access and return reservists, categorized as Pretrained Individual Manpower Airmen, back into the active-duty force to meet wartime and contingency needs. They are Individual Ready

  • Airmen track terrorists off base

    To keep Balad Air Base, Iraq safe and secure, the Airmen of Task Force 1041 venture off base daily to take the fight to the enemy.“This is a war against insurgents, and the battlefield is asymmetric,” said Lt. Col. Chris Bargery, task force commander. “The vast majority of attacks against air bases

  • Air Force lifts Boeing suspension

    Air Force officials removed the suspension of three Boeing Co. units associated with its rocket business March 4. The company’s Launch Systems, Boeing Launch Services and Delta Program business units were suspended July 24, 2003, for serious violations of federal law, officials said. The 20-month

  • AMC stands up first contingency response wing

    Air Mobility Command stood up the Air Force’s first contingency response wing here March 1.The wing, which replaced the 621st Air Mobility Operations Group, expands the group's current mission and embeds all necessary capabilities, such as security forces, finance, intelligence and civil

  • First B-2s deploy to Andersen

    B-2 Spirit bombers have deployed here for the first time to support Pacific Command’s security efforts in the Western Pacific. More than 270 Airmen of the 393rd Expeditionary Bomb Squadron deployed from the 509th Bomb Wing at Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo., currently the only B-2 unit in the Air

  • Proper hygiene keeps coalition fit to fight

    Proper hygiene is critical to remaining combat-ready.To ensure servicemembers stay healthy, most forward-deployed locations throughout Afghanistan offer plenty of opportunities for good hygiene, like running water for showers and hand-washing stations next to the chow line.However, the situation

  • Air Force identifies non-vol candidates for first sergeant duty

    Air Force officials have identified Airmen as candidates for first sergeant duty for the second time in two years through a nonvolunteer process. Historically, first sergeants were chosen from a pool of volunteers. But in recent years, there has not been a sufficient number of volunteers to keep

  • New Horizons provides training, spreads goodwill

    Nearly 600 U.S. servicemembers from every branch of the military are working together with Salvadoran military and civilian counterparts to improve communities with humanitarian-assistance projects.The lead unit for the U.S. Southern Command-sponsored readiness training exercise, New Horizons 2005

  • Adopt-a-plane program preserves history

    George Jones is a man with a plan: to restore the static aircraft displays at the Air Force Armament Museum here.The aircraft are “dying a slow death” because of adverse weather conditions that are taking a toll on the 25 displays that surround the museum, said Mr. Jones, an aerospace museum

  • Bagram mail team delivers

    Delivering messages from home to more than 700 deployed Airmen is a “mission of morale” being carried out on a daily basis by the mail team here.Anywhere from seven to 20 pallets of mail arrive here daily -- anywhere between 15,000 to 50,000 pounds of mail.“We have a core team of seven Airmen --

  • Hill shop helps Soldiers see in the dark

    Repair work by a few technicians in one of the 309th Electronics Maintenance Group's shops here is helping Soldiers see in the dark. Electronics and instruments branch workers repair single-lens night-vision goggles for Soldiers of the 4th Infantry Division at Fort Hood, Texas, while they rotate in

  • Tuskegee Airman visits Cannon

    Retired Lt. Col. Herbert Carter is the embodiment of walking history. He was part of the 99th Pursuit Squadron, the famous “Red Tails,” made up of a group of black pilots known as the Tuskegee Airmen.Colonel Carter visited here recently to speak at Cannon’s Black History Month dinner.“I actually

  • Air Force continues support, donates homes

    Base officials here plan to donate more than 20 housing units to American Indian tribes in North Dakota this summer as part of the decade-old Operation Walking Shield program.So far, more than 460 excess housing units here have been donated to 11 tribes in North Dakota, South Dakota and

  • IDT policy change gives augmentees flexibility

    A recent policy change modifies the inactive duty training policy for individual mobilization augmentees, and gives the reservists more flexibility to schedule training requirements.“While it is expected our IMAs will participate on a quarterly basis to maintain viability and visibility within their

  • Cyber security ‘boot camp' approved by ROTC

    A cyber security boot camp course here was approved as professional development training for Air Force ROTC.The advanced course in engineering is one of 10 such programs in the country to carry this designation, and the only program with a formal academic component, officials said. It is associated

  • Troops deal with stress of working 'inside the wire'

    Working "inside the wire" of the enemy combatant detention facility can lead to stress for the U.S. troops working here. But experts and leaders are working hard to help servicemembers deal with the unique conditions of working on this isolated island base.Stress-control issues are something the

  • War highlights need for military medical transformation

    While peak combat readiness is a persistent goal of America's armed forces, much less has been made of the state of the military's medical readiness, especially with regard to support systems and processes for returning National Guard and Reserve servicemembers wounded in the war on terror.In a

  • Tinker employees share ‘positively presidential’ names

    Tinker has been visited by many men who have been presidents of the United States, but a quick look at the personnel directory might cause people to wonder if some of America’s past chief executives are part of the Tinker family.Georgia Washington, operations director in the propulsion product

  • Twice-yearly TSP 'open season' limitations end July 1

    Defense Department civilians and servicemembers building tax-free retirement accounts through the Thrift Savings Plan soon will be able to change their investment options at any time instead of just twice a year.Current biannual TSP "open season" investment-choice windows will end July 1, said Army

  • General Jumper: Air Force will uphold standards

    The Air Force will uphold its standards, and people who break the service’s core values “will pay the price,” the Air Force chief of staff said.Gen. John P. Jumper also told the more than 1,000 attendees at the Air Force Association’s annual Air Warfare Symposium here Feb. 17 the service will not

  • Officials announce civil engineer unit awards

    Officials from the Air Force Civil Engineer Support Agency here and the Society of American Military Engineers announced the winners of the 2004 civil engineer outstanding unit awards. The winners of the society’s Maj. Gen. Robert H. Curtin Award and the Air Force Civil Engineer Outstanding Unit

  • FAST mission for security forces

    Their job is simple: Cockpit denial and ground security. The training is intense, and only the best will get the assignment.The two-man teams are called fly-away security teams and are an offshoot of Air Mobility Command’s Phoenix Raven program. Due to a high volume of intratheater airlift

  • Battlelab gives armor 'thumbs up'

    Air Mobility Battlelab officials here recently completed their evaluation of a life-saving vehicle armor kit produced by the Army.The Armor Survivability Kit was designed by experts from the U.S. Army Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command. The kit provides protection from a range of threats in

  • Deployed Airman keeps aircraft aloft

    Looking out a window high in the sky, he calls the shots. As aircraft approach, he talks to them, setting the stage for a smooth connection. The lineup has to be near-perfect -- too much to the left or right and the mission could fail. As the communication link to aircraft needing fuel, he knows

  • Inspector General investigates eight Air Force contracts

    Eight Air Force defense contracts not previously identified for in-depth review have been referred to the Department of Defense inspector general for investigation.The referral resulted from a review by Defense Contract Management Agency officials of 407 contracts under the control of or influenced

  • Air Force moves radios to narrowband

    As the demand for radio frequencies continues to grow, so does the need to increase efficiency. Air Force Communications Agency officials here helped create more capabilities by providing the roadmap for moving the Air Force away from wideband to narrowband radios. Land mobile radio systems enable

  • Symposium students complete 32,000 hours of instruction

    Students and instructors said they developed a new appreciation for the word “training” during the 2005 Environmental Training Symposium, which ended here Feb. 11.About 153 instructors taught 111 courses to more than 1,250 students throughout the week-long event.More than 32,100 hours of instruction

  • Firefighter dies during rescue attempt in Iraq

    A firefighter from here was killed Feb. 13 while on a rescue mission in Iraq.Staff Sgt. Ray Rangel, 29, died while attempting to rescue two Soldiers trapped in a Humvee that overturned in a canal. He was deployed to an Air Force unit operating out of Balad Air Base, Iraq. He was permanently

  • Pentagon Airman collects valentines for patients

    Where is the love? That is a question often asked, especially on Valentine’s Day. This year, one answer may be found in a small office in the Pentagon.Air Force Pentagon Enlisted Council officials began what they thought would be a small attempt to brighten the holiday for wounded servicemembers

  • Ellsworth Airmen reinvent the ladder

    Airmen here saw a problem and found a way to fix it, making the B-1B Lancer a more reliable warfighting machine.The problem involved the crew entry ladder being removed from the aircraft for repairs during the refurbishment process. This made the aircraft “not mission capable” for about seven

  • Fairchild tests centralized computer support

    A handful of information managers at the network control center here assumed responsibility for a portion of computer workgroup management operations Feb. 7.This is the beginning of a year-long Air Force test program called Pathfinder-Workgroup Management.The base was selected for the test by Air

  • C-130s grounded

    Thirty E-model C-130 Hercules were grounded Feb. 10, and 60 other models including some E, H, H1 and HC-130P/N were placed on restricted flight status.Gen. John W. Handy, commander of Air Mobility Command, directed the grounding and restricted flight status to minimize wing stress and increase the

  • Predators protect troops

    The loud roars of F-16 Fighting Falcons here are familiar reminders of close-air support, but unmanned Predators silently swarm the sky protecting troops by different means.The RQ/MQ-1 Predator unmanned aerial vehicle is a lightweight, low-horsepower aircraft capable of taking daylight and infrared

  • Airmen provide convoy security for Soldiers, Marines in Iraq

    When Master Sgt. William Chapman joined the Air Force transportation field 20 years ago, he never dreamed he would use his skills far beyond the flightline.Recently returned from Iraq, Sergeant Chapman is teaching his fellow Airmen critical skills needed to conduct convoy-security missions there.It

  • Officials announce Air Force budget proposal

    The Air Force piece of the 2006 defense budget is designed to make the joint team better, officials said.Announced Feb. 7, the budget grows from $96 billion that Congress enacted for fiscal 2005, to $102.9 billion in 2006, a senior Air Force budget official said. After covering the growing costs of

  • Reserve Airmen test C-130J in Southwest Asia

    Faster, farther, higher, safer. Aircrews and maintainers from the Air Force Reserve Command’s 403rd Wing here are changing attitudes and proving the effectiveness of their bird the J-model C-130 Hercules.As the first unit to take delivery of the aircraft in 1999, Airmen in the wing’s 815th Airlift

  • Air Logistics Centers add wings, squadrons

    As part of its ongoing goal to better support operational commands and warfighters in the field, Air Force Materiel Command officials will reorganize the command’s three air logistics centers over the coming weeks. The reorganization, which will incorporate a specialized mission wing structure