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  • Deployed Airman gets family surprise

    For Master Sgt. Shanda Moon it was another uneventful lunch at her deployed location in Southwest Asia where she serves as the executive assistant to the command chief for U.S. Air Force Central Command. She saw a young Soldier approaching, but didn't think much about it. But as he got closer, he

  • Joint Chiefs Chairman to host Facebook town hall

    The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is looking forward to interacting with a range of people during a town hall meeting on Facebook this week.Questions already are coming in to Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey's Facebook page, with more than 150 questions and comments so far over a wide range of

  • Communications satellite turns 20

    The 3rd Space Operations Squadron celebrated the Defense Satellite Communications System B10 satellite's 20th anniversary on orbit Nov. 28. The anniversary held significant importance for the squadron and for the Air Force, in part because the satellite was designed to operate for only 10 years.

  • AF participates in first Israeli Blue Flag exercise

    The Air Force participated in the first Israeli Blue Flag exercise at Uvda Air Force Base, Israel, Nov. 24-28.Blue Flag is the largest multinational aerial warfare training exercise hosted by the Israeli air force. The exercise included forces from the U.S., Israel, Italy and Greece. Its objectives

  • NCO to commission as first lieutenant

    A noncommissioned officer from the 65th Force Support Squadron was recently selected to commission as a first lieutenant in the Medical Service Corps. Staff Sgt. Jacob Williams, 65th FSS career development craftsman, was so anxious he couldn't eat breakfast on the morning of Oct. 18. Some of the MSC

  • Aero repair keeps ‘birds’ in the air

    With the highest volume of flying missions in the U.S. Air Forces Central Command area of responsibility, aircraft at the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing rely on a team of professional maintainers to keep them in top shape to accomplish the air tasking order.

  • Prepare now for tax season, DOD official advises

    With a month left before the start of tax season, service members should begin gathering documentation to file their 2013 taxes, said the director of the Pentagon's office of family policy and children and youth said. In a recent interview with American Forces Press Service and the Pentagon Channel,

  • AF appoints new space deputy

    A new deputy under Secretary of the Air Force for Space programs was appointed Nov. 18 to lead the way in innovation and plot the future of the program.

  • ROTC cadets, IRR graduates eligible for release

    Reserve Officer Training Corps cadets slated to graduate in 2014 and recently commissioned graduates in the Individual Ready Reserve waiting to enter active duty may be eligible for release from their military service commitment, Air Force officials said Dec.3.

  • Yokota Airmen share airdrop techniques with Japanese counterparts

    Yokota Airmen from the 374th Airlift Wing showcased their low-cost, low-altitude airdrop methods and capabilities with Japan Air Self-Defense Force members, showing their counterparts how to provide affordable, reliable, safe and accurate airdrops for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief

  • 2014 FEHB open season ends Dec. 9

    Open season for the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, the Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program and the Federal Flexible Spending Account Program continues through Dec. 9.

  • Last 'new' Phantom returns to service

    The 82nd Aerial Target Squadron received the last of the "new" QF-4 aerial targets as the Vietnam-era aircraft landed here Nov. 19. The QF-4, Aircraft 68-0599, spent more than 20 years in the Air Force "Boneyard" at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., before being brought back to life for one last

  • Mom: 'There go my boys to save another life'

    Staff Sgts. Cody and Jake Inman are both part of the Alaska Air National Guard’s rescue mission here. Cody is a pararescueman with the 212th Rescue Squadron while his brother is an HH-60 Pave Hawk special mission aviator in the 210th RQS, a new Air Force Specialty Code that combined the former

  • KC-135 brings force extension to Iceland

    The 351st Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron and the KC-135 Stratotanker deployed from Royal Air Force Mildenhall, England, make up an important part of the 48th Air Expeditionary Group here in Iceland.

  • Welsh: Air Force performs vital national security missions

    The Air Force mission that calls for it to dominate the air, transport troops and materiel and provide communications and intelligence are all critical to American military success, but performing them is hard for the public to visualize because much of this goes on behind the scenes, Air Force

  • Welsh, Cody wrap-up trip to the Dakotas

    The Air Force’s top commissioned and noncommissioned military leaders met thousands of Airmen in the Dakotas this week, learning about their missions and lives and answering their questions. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III and Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James A. Cody visited

  • President, deployed Airman talk football on Thanksgiving

    “One hundred and twenty years ago, in the midst of a great and terrible civil conflict, President Lincoln formally proclaimed a national day of Thanksgiving to remind those ‘insensible to the ever watchful providence of almighty God’ of this nation’s bounty and greatness. Several days after the

  • Dover AFB Airmen deliver NASA equipment

    Even with all the advancements mankind has made, storms like Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Sandy have proven just how vulnerable we can be to the wrath of Mother Nature. Advanced and accurate information about the path of these storms can be the difference between life and death.

  • Air Force Week in Photos

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

  • Welsh: Airmen should use common sense in approaching missions

    Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III and Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James Cody told Airmen at the 28th Bomb Wing at Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., Nov. 27 that they need to use common sense as they go about their duties.

  • Alaska ANG Airmen aid Philippine relief efforts

    Nine Alaska Air National Guard members with the 176th Wing’s 249th Airlift Squadron are working in the Philippines in support of Operation Damayan, the relief effort to assist citizens affected by Typhoon Haiyan.

  • Nominees sought for 2014 Outstanding Airmen of the Year award

    Air Force officials are seeking nominations for the 12 Outstanding Airmen of the Year Award for 2014.There are three categories for award: Airman, noncommissioned officer and senior NCO. Nominations are due to the Air Force Personnel Center by April 2, 2014.

  • Air Force specialties affected by retraining reduction

    As many as 1,000 Airmen may be affected by a recently identified decrease in fiscal 2014 retraining objectives, with 35 or more Air Force specialty codes removed from the retraining-in list, Air Force officials said Nov. 26.

  • AF implements new personnel policies as it prepares to get smaller

    The Air Force will implement new personnel policies to posture for future force management programs as it prepares to become smaller, officials announced today. In the absence of Congressional direction to mitigate the impact of sequestration, the Air Force must proceed with changes to personnel

  • Aerospace award nominations due Jan. 7

    Nominations for the 2014 Air Force Association Aerospace Awards, for outstanding contributions to national defense in a variety of fields, are due to the Air Force Personnel Center by Jan. 7.

  • Unmanned aircraft maintenance partnership to increase production

    The Air Force Sustainment Center or AFSC and General Atomics reached a partnership agreement Nov. 9, for the maintenance of unmanned aircraft systems or UAS, including the Predator/Reaper and the Army's version, the "Gray Eagle." The an enterprise-level, public-private agreement, signed by Lt. Gen.

  • Air Force focuses on nuclear security, operations

    The Air Force's nuclear mission continues to have the attention of leaders across the discipline, the Air Force chief of staff said here yesterday. Gen. Mark A. Welsh III categorically stated that he is not worried about the surety and security or the operational capability of the Air Force's

  • Welsh: Air Force must get handle on pay, benefits

    The Air Force must control the growth of pay and benefits or the service will be hard pressed to perform its primary mission to fight and win America's wars, the service's top officer said here yesterday.

  • Former MTI’s road to recovery transformed tragedy into inspiration

    In the pitch blackness and pre-dawn stillness, his booming voice alone was enough to send several dozen new trainees into a frenzied scramble from the comfort of their bunks. His scowl was enough to keep those trainees frozen into a formation of stone figures.Tech. Sgt. Matthew Zien was one of

  • AF senior leaders tour Dakota bases, meet personnel

    Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III arrived here today for a three-day trip through the Dakotas.Welsh, his wife Betty, and Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James A. Cody will visit the base and then move to Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., to meet with Airmen and their families.

  • 2 AF teams earn DOD's top acquisition award

    Deputy Defense Secretary Ash Carter presented four acquisition teams with the David Packard Excellence in Acquisition Award, the highest Defense Department-bestowed honor for acquisitions, Nov. 25.

  • AFMC makes progress despite impacts of sequestration, restructure

    The vice commander of Air Force Materiel Command offered insight to recent developments and answered questions regarding the command’s recent restructure efforts and fiscal challenges at the Air Force Association’s 2013 Pacific Air & Space Symposium here Nov. 22.

  • Wounded warriors gain confidence during Pentagon volleyball contest

    Gung-ho spirits were the norm as wounded-warrior athletes from the four services, U.S. Special Operations Command and the Department of Veterans Affairs clashed at the 3rd Annual Joint Services Sitting Volleyball Tournament, in recognition of Warrior Care Month.

  • Air Force wins top honors at international film festival

    Two Air Force video productions won awards at the 23rd International Defence Film Festival in Rome last week, including the "Grand Prix - Plaque of the President of the Italian Republic” award for best overall production, according to a festival press release.

  • A surprise homecoming at Broncos vs. Patriots game

    Maj. Wellington V. Philips II returned home from a six-month deployment in Southwest Asia to surprise his wife and son at the Denver Broncos vs. New England Patriots football game Nov. 25, at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass.

  • The future of air and space operations in the Pacific

    Four retired Air Force senior leaders addressed Air Force Association Pacific Air and Space Symposium attendees during a panel, using their lessons learned to discuss the future of Air and Space operations in the Pacific.

  • Air Force Week in Photos

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

  • Commissary CEO shares sequestration consequences

    Offering a glimpse at what commissary and military exchange services could become in light of smaller and unpredictable budgets, the Defense Commissary Agency director and CEO described to Congress yesterday the consequences sequestration and the government shutdown have already imposed. Customers

  • Guam Airmen in the mix for Damayan support

    Airmen from Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, deployed to the Philippines last week in support of ongoing humanitarian assistance and disaster relief efforts in the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan. A four-person advance team from the 36th Contingency Response Group deployed to Villamor Air Base early last

  • AF special operations group key to aid effort after Typhoon Haiyan

    The Air Force's 353rd Special Operations Group opened a fourth airfield in Borongan, Republic of the Philippines Nov. 18, to facilitate a more efficient distribution of relief supplies to outlying areas as part of Operation Damayan. The group has opened airstrips at Tacloban, Ormoc, Guiuan and

  • Senate hearing targets predatory lending practices

    While programs are in place to combat predatory lending practices that target service members and their families, better rules and enforcement are needed, witnesses told a Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee Nov. 21.

  • Satellites successfully launched From NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center

    The Air Force’s Operationally Responsive Space Office or ORS and Space Test Program satellites or STPSat were successfully launched at 8:15 p.m. EST, Nov. 19. The satellites were carried aboard an Orbital Space Sciences Minotaur I Vehicle, from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center’s Wallops Flight

  • Brothers make recruiting a family affair

    Joining the armed services leads many people to leave their hometowns and serve around the world, moving far away from family and friends. Fortunately for Staff Sgt. Andrew Charvat and Marine Corps Sgt. Matthew Charvat, these brothers had the opportunity to come back and serve in their

  • Air Force official recommends energy partnerships

    Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Energy, Dr. Kevin T. Geiss, emphasized service collaboration in cost-savings measures during a panel discussion at the Joint Services Energy Panel at the George Mason University Arlington Campus here Nov. 20. Geiss said the Air Force's total fleet

  • Operation Damayan airlift operations intensify

    Airmen from the 36th Airlift Squadron, launched 24-hour C-130 Hercules aircraft night operations in support of Operation Damayan Nov. 18. Night operations substantially multiply the joint airlift component here increase the flow of evacuation flights from Tacloban, Philippines, the region hit

  • Additional remains of Air Force pilot found

    Additional remains of an Air Force pilot who died in combat in 2006 in Iraq have been found, service officials announced Nov. 19.Maj. Troy Gilbert was killed when his F-16C Fighting Falcon crashed 20 miles northwest of Baghdad, Iraq Nov. 27, 2006, while engaged in support of coalition ground combat

  • Air Force accepts CENTCOM's customs mission

    For the first time the Air Force is solely responsible for the U.S. Central Command's customs mission in Southwest Asia. In a recent transfer of authority ceremony, the 387th Air Expeditionary Squadron, undisclosed location, Southwest Asia, accepted responsibility for the customs mission from the

  • Airmen can send satellite radio holiday messages

    The Joint Hometown News Service, part of the Defense Media Activity here, is partnering this year with SiriusXM Radio to enable service members worldwide to send holiday greetings to loved ones back home.Military members anywhere can call a toll-free number, 888-776-2790 or DSN 312-733-4660, to

  • Retired ACC ops chief lauded by acting SecAF

    A retired Air Force officer who brought the F-22 Raptor fleet back to full operational status following an indefinite grounding, received the 2012 Eugene M. Zuckert Management Award, at the Pentagon, Nov. 18.

  • AF officials build partnerships in UAE

    The deputy undersecretary of the Air Force for International Affairs is at the Dubai Airshow here this week to build partnerships that strengthen peace and stability.

  • Airmen return from Brazilian-led CRUZEX exercise

    U.S. Air Force Airmen and Air National Guardsmen participated in Cruzeiro do Sul, a Brazilian-hosted air force exercise testing air-to-air maneuvers, mission planning, airdrop operations, and search and rescue skills, Nov. 4-15 in Brazil.

  • Two B-52 crews help save disoriented pilot

    During a routine exercise over Alaska, a seven-man B-52H Stratofortress crew from here, call sign HAIL13, and a B-52H crew from Barksdale Air Force Base, call sign HAIL14, received a call for help from the Anchorage Air Traffic Control Center Nov. 13. The whereabouts of a small Cessna aircraft had

  • Hagel focuses on readiness at Reagan Library Speech

    Long-term preparedness and near-term readiness are being affected by sequestration and America ignores this rise in risk at its peril, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Nov. 16, in California today. Hagel spoke at the first Reagan National Security Forum at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley. The

  • Guard firefighters assist after deadly tornado strikes

    Ten firefighters and three vehicles assigned to the Illinois Air National Guard’s 182nd Airlift Wing responded to Washington, Ill., Nov. 17, after at least six people died and 54 others were injured by a series of tornadoes that battered central Illinois.

  • Airmen shift from exercise to real-world relief efforts

    Airmen from Yokota Air Base, Japan, shifted gears from exercise to real-world humanitarian relief operations as they arrived at Clark Air Base, Republic of the Philippines, to provide tactical airlift support for Operation Damayan, Nov. 16, 2013.

  • Kadena joins in sending aid to Philippines

    Following the devastation throughout the Philippines, due to Super Typhoon Haiyan, which hit six central islands Nov. 8, Kadena Air Base has joined the U.S. Pacific Command in the effort to deliver aid to the country.

  • Airmen deploy to Philippines in support of Operation Damayan

    The 374th Airlift Wing here deployed a C-130 Hercules aircraft Nov. 13, in support of Operation Damayan. Operation Damayan is a U.S. humanitarian aid and disaster relief effort in the Philippines, in the wake of the devastating effects of Typhoon Haiyan.

  • Major wins highest aviation safety award

    An Air Force pilot who maintained control of his aircraft despite losing 80 percent of his left wing during a mid-air collision, is the recipient of the 2013 Koren Kolligian Jr. Trophy, Nov. 14, at the Pentagon.

  • Air Force Week in Photos

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

  • Women Empowered seminar instills Jiu-Jitsu, self-defense strategies

    Hundreds of feet pounding the wrestling mats echoed in the fitness center here. A stern man instructed the students to not remove their hand from the ground before planting their feet on the floor.In an effort to reduce the frequency of sexual assaults in the armed forces, the Gracie Academy created

  • Rescue team receives prestigious honor

    The two helicopter crews arrived at the mountainous location where U.S. and Afghan forces were pinned down and taking heavy fire from the cliffs above. An Afghan troop was severely injured and in need of immediate care if he was to live.

  • 911 officers, civilians selected for developmental education

    More than 800 officers and 111 civilians were selected for intermediate and senior developmental education by the 2013 Developmental Education Designation Board which convened here Nov. 4, Air Force Personnel Center officials announced today.

  • Trauma surgeon urges continued investment in combat care

    As combat operations wind down in Afghanistan and the Defense Department struggles with ever-tighter budgetary constraints, a seasoned military trauma surgeon warned against arbitrary cuts that could unravel successes made in preventing combat injuries and, when they occur, providing the best

  • Re-tread pilot completes 100th combat sortie

    A 22nd Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron pilot deployed to Transit Center at Manas, Kyrgyzstan, recently flew his 100th combat sortie during an air refueling mission in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

  • Candy Bomber drops in 65 years after Berlin Airlift

    It was 1948, World War II was over and the Cold War had begun. For many German families, living conditions were tough and food was scarce. But for the children of Berlin, there was a glimmer of hope, and it came from the sky. Army Air Corps 1st Lt. Gail Halvorsen, a C-47 pilot stationed in Germany

  • New contracting agency stand up increases AF flexibility

    The Air Force Installation Contracting Agency officially stood up during a transition ceremony here Nov. 13.Following manpower cuts last year, Air Force leaders designed AFICA, a field operating agency that reports directly to the deputy assistant secretary for contracting, to ensure bases around

  • Innovative tool streamlines requirements process

    Air Mobility Command officials recently introduced an innovative tool that is transforming the command's process for gathering and prioritizing Command, Control, Communications, Computers and Intelligence (C4I) requirements, and will soon be expanded to include other requirements.

  • CMSAF launches worldwide CHIEFchat, answers questions from the force

    Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James A. Cody shared the latest information on past, present and future of the Air Force with Airmen, Air Force civilians and their families Nov. 12, during a worldwide CHIEFchat session at the headquarters of the Defense Media Activity here.

  • Best little repair shop in Afghanistan

    There are no Web ads, gorilla-suit wearers standing on the corner flipping arrow signs or even a simple "Open for Business" sign; there is just a makeshift, plywood plaque that describes exactly what it is -- "Tan Box Bike Repair."For service members at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, with bicycle

  • CSAF discusses opening communications with China

    Opening up lines of communication with China is good for the United States, the region and the world, the Air Force chief of staff said here Nov. 13. Gen. Mark A. Welsh III spoke about his recent trip to China with the Defense Writers Group this morning.