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  • Pearl Harbor-Hickam set to host first Wounded Warrior Pacific Invitational

    Thirty Air Force wounded warriors will face off against 90 other athletes during the first Wounded Warrior Pacific Invitational hosted by Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam Jan. 8-10.The week-long event will be the largest joint-service competition to take place outside of the annual Warrior Games.

  • Military blood program director urges generosity

    The director of the Armed Services Blood Program wants all service members to be part of a new arms race. Col. Richard H. McBride wants service members to roll up their sleeves and donate blood to help fellow service members and their families.

  • B-1B accident report released

    A displaced fold-down baffle in the left overwing fairing of a B-1B Lancer led to a fuel leak and a series of detonations that disabled the aircraft prior to it crashing Aug. 19, 2013, near Broadus, Montana, according to an Air Combat Command Accident Investigation Board report released Dec. 30,

  • Agency works to draw down costs, maintain top medical care

    The Defense Department’s goal to save medical dollars and deliver the best health care possible has made strides in its first 100 days, the director of the new Defense Health Agency said. Lt. Gen. (Dr.) Douglas J. Robb said the agency, which stood up Oct. 1 in Fairfax, Va., has been on a “journey”

  • Rescue squadron deactivates at Camp Bastion

    The HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter aircrew of the 26th Expeditionary Rescue Squadron and pararescuemen of the 651st Expeditionary Rescue Flight, deployed here, sat alert for the last time Dec. 31, 2013.

  • AF to convene enhanced selective early retirement board in June

    The Air Force will convene an enhanced selective early retirement board here June 16 to consider eligible officers for early retirement, Air Force Personnel Center officials said today.ESERB, a new authority granted in the fiscal 2013 National Defense Authorization Act, applies to regular,

  • Air Force Week in Photos

    This week's photos feature Airmen around the globe involved in activities supporting expeditionary operations and defending America.

  • Deployed Airman embodies resiliency through fitness

    Capt. Ezekiel Duran, a physiologist with the 380th Expeditionary Medical Group here, is not only determined to be physically fit, working out two times each day while preparing to run a marathon, but also be the best possible wingman to his fellow deployed Airmen.

  • Doolittle Raider to Airmen: Training is key to mission success

    While the Air Force is often celebrated for its use of technology and reliance on hardware, a Doolittle Raider's visit here Dec. 30, 2013, re-enforced that the service's true strength stems from well-trained, innovative Airmen working jointly. Retired Lt. Col. Richard Cole, who served as then-Col.

  • AF officer, former Academy athlete killed in Afghanistan

    Former Air Force thrower Capt David (Lissy) Lyon was killed on Dec. 27, while conducting combat operations near Kabul, Afghanistan. Lyon, a 2008 Academy graduate, was a three-year letter winner for the Falcons' track and field team and a Mountain West champion in the shot put.

  • Bagram Airmen get call from AF top leader to ring in new year

    Four 455th Air Expeditionary Wing Airmen received New Year's Eve phone calls from the Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James.The secretary wished them a happy new year and wanted to let the Airmen know the Air Force leadership team was thinking of all the deployed Airmen and their families

  • Airlift operations complete in Central African Republic

    A small U.S. Air Force support team and two C-17 Globemaster III aircraft began airlift operations Dec. 12 in response to a French request for airlift support. The Airmen conducted 16 flights from Burundi to the Central African Republic, Warren said, transporting 857 Burundi troops, 73 pallets of

  • Airman finds motocross racing ultimate 'stress reliever'

    His heart is racing and his entire nervous system is pulsing with adrenalin. He revs the engine of his dirt bike easing the tension before the race begins. But this rider isn't a professional on the American Motorcyclist Association circuit, but a McConnell AFB officer who uses the sport as the

  • 2014 Air Force marathon registration begins

    Registration for the 2014 Air Force Marathon will open at midnight EST on Jan. 1 with special New Year's Resolution discounts. Participants who register on Jan. 1 will save $10 off the full or half marathon and $5 off the 10K or 5K.

  • Enlisted retention board to convene in June

    An enlisted retention board will convene here in June to consider eligible senior airmen through senior master sergeants for retention, Air Force Personnel Center officials said.

  • Applicants sought for NDU emerging leader program

    Eligible officers and civilians have until Feb. 14 to submit their application for the National Defense University Center for the Study of Weapons of Mass Destruction Program for Emerging Leaders.

  • 2013 Air Force Year in Photos

    This Year in Photos feature Airmen around the globe involved in activities supporting expeditionary operations and defending America.

  • Top AF leaders: Happy holidays to all!

    The Air Force’s senior leaders send a holiday message to Airmen and family members throughout the force.Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh II and Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James A. Cody thank service members and family members for their

  • AF selects officers for space leadership roles

    More than three dozen officers have been selected for calendar year 2014 space operations director of operations, detachment commander and director of space forces positions, Air Force Personnel Center officials announced.

  • Cadet-designed system aids stroke victim recovery

    An entrepreneurial collaboration between the Air Force Academy and Penrose-St. Francis Health Services is creating a device to help patients recover their full range of motion after suffering a stroke or injury. The project - called Neumimic - is the result of a partnership between mechanical and

  • Africa Command repositions forces to increase flexibility

    The commander of U.S. Africa Command is repositioning forces in East Africa in an effort to attain maximum flexibility to respond to State Department requests, Pentagon spokesman Army Col. Steve Warren told reporters here Dec. 23.

  • Academy officer looks back on challenges, rewards of deployment

    When Lt. Col. Howard Gentry deployed to Afghanistan in May 2012, he knew he'd be stepping out of his comfort zone -- living and working in a different country, absorbing its culture, learning a new language and, for the next 12 months, watching his one-year-old daughter grow up and say her first

  • Eligible officers, enlisted members offered early retirement

    Staff through senior master sergeants and captains through lieutenant colonels in certain Air Force Specialty Codes may apply to retire with fewer than 20 years of active service under the Temporary Early Retirement Authority, Air Force Personnel Center officials announced.

  • Thousands of U.S. personnel serve overseas during the holidays

    For many American service members, the holidays are just another work day.In a news conference last week, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey reminded Americans that their military is deployed worldwide, performing missions that keep their fellow citizens safe.In his

  • CV-22 arrives at AF museum, marks future expansion

    One of the Air Force's unique aircraft landed at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force in Dayton, Ohio, Dec. 12. The arrival of CV-22 Osprey will be a centerpiece of the museum’s new 224,000 square-foot building.

  • Final B-52G eliminated under New START

    One rescue saw, two qualified technicians and less than 45 minutes later, the final B-52G Stratofortress accountable under the New START Treaty was eliminated Dec. 19 at the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group, commonly referred to as "The Boneyard," Davis-Monthan Air Force Base,

  • Video: SecAF message to Airmen

    In this video, the 23rd Secretary of the Air Force, Deborah Lee James, gives her first remarks as secretary of the Air Force about what Airmen and their families can expect from her in the future.

  • DOD strives to eliminate sexual assault

    Eliminating sexual assault in the U.S. military is one of the Defense Department’s highest priorities and the department welcomes President Barack Obama’s continued leadership on this issue and shares his commitment to doing what it takes to solve this problem, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said in

  • Parents, Children Fighting Cancer weather the storm

    On a cold and gloomy winter afternoon, thick, gray clouds loomed overhead. Parents, with their children in tow, quickly escape to the shelter of a nearby aircraft hangar. A safe-haven for those seeking refuge from the elements as guests are welcomed with friendly smiles, music, Christmas lights and

  • Air Force Week in Photos

    This week's photos feature Airmen around the globe involved in activities supporting expeditionary operations and defending America.

  • Deployed Airmen prepare for holiday feast

    At the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing here, the 379th Expeditionary Force Support Squadron food services team works to bring holiday food and cheer to service members and civilians away from home for the holiday season.

  • Alaska Airmen keep Santa in sight

    NORAD conducts a special mission on Dec. 24 - tracking Santa across the globe to ensure Santa experiences safe travels during his yuletide journey and Alaskan NORAD Region plays a vital part in that mission.

  • C-17 crew members reflect on Philippine relief efforts

    Days after Typhoon Haiyan devastated the Philippine's eastern seaboard Nov. 8, C-17 Globemaster III crews from the 535th Airlift Squadron here, began flying sorties in and out of the hardest hit areas as part of Operation Damayan. Tacloban, the capital city of the Philippine Province Leyte, served

  • First Dutch F-35 pilot takes to skies

    The first Netherlands pilot took to the skies here Dec. 18, in the F-35A Lightning II, making the Netherlands the second partner country to operate the fifth-generation multirole fighter. Maj. Laurens J.W. Vijge, the Royal Netherlands Air Force F-35 Integrated Training Center training lead,

  • CSAF to Airmen: focus on dignity, respect

    The Air Force’s highest ranking uniformed Airman released another edition of ‘Airman to Airman’ – a video series highlighting key issues and challenges facing the service.

  • Mobility Airmen ready and responsive anytime, anywhere

    As the death of former South African president Nelson Mandela drew the world's attention to the African continent, mobility Airmen raced against the clock to ensure President Obama's security, communications, and mission support was in place. Within days those would become part of an international

  • CSAF hosts summit to address sexual assault

    Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. Mark A. Welsh III hosted a Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Summit Dec.11 and 12 as part of the Air Force's ongoing effort to provide education and analysis on the issue and to discuss the complex leadership concerns sexual assault presents.

  • Financial management leadership program open to eligible officers

    Nominations for active-duty line officers interested in the financial management leadership program, or FMLP, are due to the Air Force Personnel Center by Feb. 15, 2014, AFPC officials said Dec. 18. The FMLP is a four-year program that provides non-finance officers the opportunity to gain leadership

  • AF band spreads holiday cheer

    Dressed in holiday style the U.S. Air Force Band performed Dec. 15 at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Udvar-Hazy Center, Chantilly, Va., as part of their holiday concert series.Visitors lined the railings and the floor around the stage as the band performed holiday classics along with

  • Deployed wing to deactivate

    The 451st Air Expeditionary Wing at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, is scheduled to deactivate in January 2014 as part of the bigger Afghanistan retrograde efforts.The 451st AEW is currently comprised of four groups, but will reorganize as one air expeditionary group, remaining at KAF, and reporting

  • Officials announce 2014 military housing allowance rates

    The 2014 basic allowance for housing rates for service members released Dec. 17, represent an average increase of 5 percent, or up to $75 to $80 per month, the Defense Department's BAH program manager said. The new rates will take effect Jan. 1 at a cost of about $20 billion for the Defense

  • Operation Christmas Drop delivers relief to typhoon-stricken island

    Airmen participating in Operation Christmas Drop here, coordinated with non-governmental organizations and State Department officials in the region to airdrop critical shipments of water and food for 30 workers recovering from damage caused by Typhoon Haiyan on Kayangel Island, part of the Republic

  • Top NCO debuts new NCO, Petty Officer book

    The military's top enlisted service member debuted a new noncommissioned officer and petty officer book here today in what he called a significant moment for all enlisted leaders. Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. Bryan B. Battaglia, senior enlisted advisor to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was

  • Mission complete: Reapers finish base security role in Afghanistan

    After a five-hour vehicle and foot patrol outside of Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, Tech. Sgt. Gary Rand sets his gear down and talks to his fellow Airmen about the mission.The Reapers have just pulled into their compound after the final “outside the wire” mission patrolling an area around the

  • Close-air support key to strategic success

    Known as CAS, close air support uses military aircraft in an attack against enemy ground forces that are in close proximity to friendly forces. This requires detailed coordination with ground troops and is typically conducted by joint terminal attack controllers. The use of CAS during wartime can be

  • NATO advisers provide clean water to Afghan village

    Members of the 838th Air Expeditionary Advisory Group Commander's Emergency Response Program conducted a site visit to a project at the Old Russian Village, a village near Shindand Air Base, Afghanistan on Dec. 2.

  • DOS rollback included in FY14 force management

    In addition to force management programs announced in July, the Air Force will implement the Enlisted Date of Separation Rollback Program for fiscal 2014, Air Force Personnel Center officials said Dec. 17.

  • C-17 crew supports Africa-led peacekeeping support mission

    The Defense Department sent another Air Force C-17 Globemaster III transport jet from Burundi to the Central African Republic today in support of the African Union-led International Support Mission in that beleaguered nation.

  • Academy expands Falcon Telescope Network, view into space

    Researchers at the Air Force Academy 's Department of Physics Center for Space Situational Awareness Research now have new university partners around the globe, thanks to a project combining satellite and educational outreach.

  • Twin brothers, separated during childhood, serve together

    By any measure, brothers Staff Sgt. Billy and Senior Airman Barrington Medeiros of the 143rd Airlift Wing had a tough childhood. Originally born in California, the identical twins -- separated by only a minute -- moved to Rhode Island at a very young age. For the brothers, life there wasn't easy.

  • 329 selected for academic, career broadening opportunities

    More than 300 officers have been selected for advanced academic degree and career broadening opportunities, Air Force Personnel Center officials announced Dec. 16.Selection for an advanced academic degree, or AAD, or special experience exchange duty, or SPEED, slot is an important step in an

  • 'Hurricane Hunters' end one of calmest seasons on record

    Nov. 30 marked the end of hurricane season, and the 403rd Wing's 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron closed up shop at their forward operating location at the Henry E. Rohlsen Airport in St. Croix, part of the U.S. Virgin Islands.Known as the "Roll Up," 403rd Wing reservists spent Dec. 9 through

  • Fighter pilot gets hero's burial

    Major Troy Gilbert’s widow and their five children placed roses behind a small box beside his grave. Ginger Gilbert Ravella then knelt down, kissed her finger and placed it gently on the box after the Dec. 11 ceremony that partially fulfilled the family’s quest to bring their fallen hero to his

  • DOD adds synthetic marijuana to random drug testing

    The Defense Department has expanded its zero tolerance for the use of illicit drugs to include synthetic marijuana, also known as "spice," the director of DOD's drug testing and program policy said here today.In an interview with American Forces Press Service and the Pentagon Channel, Army Lt. Col.

  • AF envisions smaller force to preserve readiness

    Discussing upcoming budgetary variables during a Pentagon news conference today, the Air Force's top civilian leader for the past six months addressed the inevitability of a smaller force.

  • CSAF outlines joint strike fighter’s value

    On the day that Lockheed-Martin delivered its 100th F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter to the Air Force, the service’s leaders today marked the milestone and outlined the aircraft’s value. The F-35 will be delivered to Luke Air Force Base, Ariz., where it will serve as the first training

  • Climate survey enhancements to improve awareness for commanders

    More than 3.2 million Defense Department and Coast Guard military and civilian personnel have the opportunity to affect their organization's readiness using the newest release of the Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute's Organizational Climate Survey, DEOCS 4.0, DEOMI officials said.

  • Air Force Week in Photos

    This week's photos feature Airmen around the globe involved in activities supporting expeditionary operations and defending America.

  • Academy cyber team showcases international prowess

    The Air Force Academy's Cyber Competition team placed first out of 47 teams in the western hemisphere, and fifth among 123 teams overall in the University of California Santa Barbara International Capture the Flag cyber competition Dec. 6.

  • Air Force major named top tactician

    For the first time in 23 years, an Air Force officer has won the General S. Patton Jr. Distinguished Master Tactician Award as a student in the Command and General Staff Officer Course, or CGSOC, Dec. 12.

  • AFDW host developmental seminar with key Air Force leaders

    Airmen representing the National Capital Region enlisted, officer and civilian force attended the annual Air Force District of Washington Capital Airmen Development Seminar to enhance their leadership skills Dec. 2 through 5.

  • Tyndall Airmen coordinate Nevada rescue

    Military and civilian members inside the gate at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., played an integral role in the rescue of a family stranded in the snow for more than two days in sub-zero temperatures after a day of sledding at a Nevada mountain range.

  • Airmen support peacekeeping efforts in Central African Republic

    Two U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III aircraft and a small command and support team are on the ground in Uganda, preparing to conduct airlift operations in support of ongoing peacekeeping operations in the Central African Republic, Army Col. Steve Warren, a Defense Department spokesman, said

  • VA official outlines progress in reducing claims backlog

    A senior Veterans Affairs Department official Dec. 11, outlined progress made by the Veterans Benefits Administration in reducing the backlog of veterans' disability compensation and pension claims by 36 percent since March, attributing the success to the combined impact of transformation

  • AF officials announce FY14 civilian workforce shaping

    The Air Force will reduce the size of its civilian workforce by about 900 positions in addition to maintaining approximately 7,000 vacancies across the force to meet the demands of a constrained fiscal 2014 budget, officials announced.

  • AF announces additional force management programs to reduce force size

    Air Force leaders announced force management programs today designed to reduce the force by thousands of Airmen over the next five years as a result of sequestration.Fiscal 2014 force management initiatives are in addition to the announcement made in July, stating the Air Force will implement