HomeNews

NATO Air Policing operations

U.S. Air Force News

  • Tricare officials offer tips for contract transition

    Some beneficiaries of the military's Tricare health-care system may experience long wait times when calling their new regional contractors.But the transition to new contracts "will make a strong program better and ultimately result in higher patient satisfaction," Tricare officials said.Officials

  • Officials: Use electronic voting from overseas as 'last resort'

    Some overseas servicemembers have another way to vote in the upcoming Nov. 2 elections, but they should use it as a last resort, a senior Defense Department official here said Sept. 1.The alternative electronic voting method would apply only to servicemembers whose local voting laws allow it, said

  • Posturing plan to produce more capable Air Force

    The major worldwide troop movement unveiled Aug. 16 by the president will result in a service that is better able to meet the needs of warfighting commanders, Air Force planning officials at the Pentagon said.While most of the 70,000 servicemembers who return from overseas to the United States will

  • Report focuses on Air Force Academy instructors

    Service and Department of Defense officials have agreed with most of the findings in a congressionally mandated study of faculty at the Air Force Academy.The Study and Report Related to Permanent Professors at the United States Military Academy was directed by the 2004 National Defense Authorization

  • For two Airmen, being good Soldiers kept them alive

    More and more Airmen are finding themselves training for convoy duty, deploying to Iraq and making mad dashes from Point A to Point B while under the watchful eye of the enemy. It is dangerous duty. During a convoy, Staff Sgt. Amelia Grahn, a transportation dispatcher from Royal Air Force

  • September issue of Airman available

    Read about Airmen living and working at the Air Force’s headquarters in Iraq, learn how one Airman inspires young burn survivors and discover the coldest classroom on earth. These features and more highlight the September issue of Airman magazine, now available in print and online at

  • Mechanic pulls in cash with IDEA

    A pneudraulics systems mechanic here earned $6,200 from the Innovative Development through Employee Awareness program for developing a tool that keeps parts from being damaged during maintenance.Brett Harris earned his award for developing a tool to help with taking F-15 Eagle pitch trim controllers

  • Japanese World War II fighter joins museum collection

    The embodiment of Japanese air power and kamikaze suicide attacks during World War II, a restored Japanese Zero returned to the U.S. Air Force Museum here.Commercial workers recently completed a one-year restoration of the aircraft for the museum. They disassembled the aircraft to move it to the

  • Airmen will receive AEF ID cards

    The Air Force chief of staff directed all major command officials to issue air and space expeditionary force identification cards before the beginning of Cycle 5 in September. Card usage ended during the height of operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom because six to eight AEFs were deployed

  • Lieutenant colonels, colonels eligible for time-in-grade waiver

    Air Force officials are again offering lieutenant colonels and colonels a reduction of the time-in-grade requirement for retirement.Reduction of the three-year time-in-grade requirement for those officers to retire in their current grade dropped to no less than two years.Secretary of the Air Force

  • Now showing: Aug. 30 edition of AFTV News

    The far-flung supply train for troops in Iraq headlines the latest edition of Air Force Television News.Tech. Sgt. Angie Pianga goes to Moron, Spain, to show how active-duty, Air National Guard and Reserve Airmen are performing a vital role in getting people and equipment to and from Iraq. Tech.

  • Annual program honors pioneers

    Air Force Space Command officials here will welcome six more pioneers into the Air Force Space and Missile Program Hall of Fame on Sept. 1.The program recognizes individuals who played a significant role in the early history of Air Force space and missile programs. “In keeping with our celebration

  • New AFRTS movie, family channels debut Sept. 3

    The Defense Department's American Forces Network television system will start broadcasting new movie and family channels to overseas audiences Sept. 3.The new channels, made possible by new satellite technology, will enhance choices for servicemembers and their families stationed overseas, said Lt.

  • Reserve medics rely on Nigerien help with translation

    A medical humanitarian mission can have all the doctors and medicines in the world, but the mission may not be successful without good translators.This was true for a group of Air Force Reserve medics who treated more than 6,000 patients in the African nation of Niger. The team deployed here with

  • Vehicle mechanics strive to maintain perfect record

    Athens, Greece, is not the only place where records are being set. At this base, located north of Afghanistan, a team of five mechanics are making history in their own little corner of the world.Vehicle mechanics from the 416th Air Expeditionary Group’s logistics readiness flight replaced a

  • Election, holiday peak to challenge mail delivery

    The upcoming holiday peak mailing season and national elections may challenge Air Force postal workers, but recent improvements show delivery times are steadily dropping.Air Force postal officials said Airmen deployed to operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom are receiving mail in nine to 12

  • Air Force firefighter receive honors

    Air Force firefighters recognized their top performers Aug. 16 to 20 at the annual Department of Defense and Federal Fire and Emergency Services Training Conference in New Orleans. A California man who displayed an extraordinary feat of heroism and an Air Combat Command fire department received top

  • Airmen deserve recognition for national security operations

    Air Force leaders want to ensure Airmen get the recognition they deserve for fighting the war on terrorism at home and abroad, and for many more operations critical to national security.That is why Air Force personnel officials are looking at better ways to apply modern air and space mission

  • Test cell maintainers keep aircraft engines revving

    Straddling an F-16 Fighting Falcon engine that is producing 30,000 pounds of thrust as it furiously roars full blast during testing is not for the faint hearted. The ground shakes as the engine shoots 30-foot flames out the exhaust with a deafening noise, and the strong winds can knock someone to

  • Civil engineer celebrates 63 years of service

    With admiration, he glides his hand across a huge trapezoid-shaped conference table made of solid oak. Bending down, he points out with a steady hand how he built the base precisely and securely to fit the top without nails or screws, just wooden dowels. His pride in his work and his steady hand

  • Program launches help for returning combatants, families

    A team of experts in military medicine and health communication at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences here launched a new health education campaign Aug. 24 -- "Courage to Care."In particular, Courage to Care is aimed at helping combatants reintegrate back into their families

  • Maintainers race clock at Kyrgyzstan

    Senior Airman Derek Smith and Airman 1st Class Alex O’Donnell are perched high atop a C-130 Hercules trying to solve a mechanical problem. The No. 3 engine had a prop replaced a week before, and flight deck indicator lights now point out a malfunction. It is a mild 78 degrees at 8:50 a.m. when

  • FEGLI open season begins Sept. 1

    Federal employees will be able to enroll or make changes to their group life insurance as part of a special open season Sept. 1 to 30. The event marks the 50th anniversary of the insurance program."We estimate 127,000 Air Force employees will be eligible to enroll or increase their life insurance,"

  • Eglin working to solve garage door issues

    Government and industry experts gathered here Aug. 17 to discuss solutions for garage door openers in nearby communities malfunctioning and using government-owned frequencies.Experts here began installing a new land-mobile-radio system in May to comply with a congressional mandate requiring Defense

  • Good Samaritans help with PCS nightmare

    For most servicemembers, it is routine to move every three to five years, but for one newcomer it was an experience he will never forget.First Lt. Ryan Smith, of the 351st Air Refueling Squadron, had just finished the co-pilot initial qualification course at Altus Air Force Base, Okla., when he

  • Fuels Airmen pump up

    On a busy day at their home station, the Airmen from the fuels element measure their amount of pumped fuel by the thousands. When they are deployed here, they measure it by the hundreds of thousands. Busy is not the word.The 40th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Flight fuels Airmen pumped their

  • Program aims to help military spouses interested in teaching

    Spouses to Teachers, the Defense Department's latest endeavor to help military spouses interested in teaching, is serving a similar purpose as the popular Troops to Teachers program, an official said.DOD officials established Troops to Teachers in 1994, and responsibility for the program was

  • RAPCON Airmen control sky over Iraq

    Since the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime, coalition forces have controlled the air space over Iraq. The 332nd Expeditionary Operations Support Squadron's radar approach control flight here is responsible for nearly 35,000 square miles of that air space. It makes up one of three area control

  • C-130 marks 50 years of service

    There is one hero that may not be the biggest or fastest, but for 50 years, has borne the U.S. standard as a welcome projection of both American will and American compassion throughout the world. In battle, this hero can pound the enemy from on high with munitions, electronic jamming or information

  • Cope Thunder trains warfighters

    With more than 62,000 square miles of integrated training ranges, Alaska provides the perfect backdrop for Cope Thunder 04-02, a total-force exercise which runs through Aug. 27 The two-and-a-half week exercise is held here and at nearby Elmendorf Air Force Base. “My main objective for this

  • Former AF museum collections chief convicted

    Scott Ferguson, 44, was found guilty of two crimes connected with the theft of a Peacekeeper armored car from the U.S. Air Force Museum at nearby Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.Mr. Ferguson is the former collections chief at the museum -- the third highest position in Air Force Museum management.

  • Airman named outstanding young American

    An Airman stationed at Sembach Annex, Germany, was named one of the 2004 Ten Outstanding Young Americans by U.S. Junior Chamber officials here.Maj. Eric Axelbank, 38, commands the 435th Materiel Maintenance Squadron. He will receive the award during a ceremony in New Orleans on Sept. 18.Annually

  • TMO packs it, tracks it in Afghanistan

    In a combat zone, being able to track the exact location of critical outbound equipment is extremely important.That is why Airmen at the traffic management office here are the first in the service to test the Air Force’s latest version of cargo tracking software.The Airmen are responsible for

  • Boy discovers rare arrowhead in base housing

    What started out as a souvenir for the Lilley family living on Arrowhead Court in base housing here has turned out to be a very significant discovery of American Indian culture.Six-year-old John David Lilley and his 10-year-old sister, Nancy, were playing in a sandy area of the cul-de-sac when they

  • Officials: Register to vote before deploying

    Airmen deploying between now and the general election Nov. 2 should register to vote with their deployed unit address before departing, said voting officials at the Air Force Personnel Center here.Registration is accomplished by completing a Federal Post Card Application Standard Form 76. Some

  • New manual gives mobility crews ‘go-to-war’ guidance

    For years, Air Force fighter and bomber crews have been guided into combat by a manual on tactics, techniques and procedures. Now, mobility aircrews will have similar guidance on how to go to war.Because Air Mobility Command aircrews and weapons systems were pushing closer to the threat envelope,

  • Kunsan provides strong foundation for F-16 pilots

    First Lt. Wyatt Morrise, an F-16 Fighting Falcon pilot, jumped at the chance to come here after graduating from aviator school. Although it is a one-year unaccompanied tour, almost every veteran F-16 pilot he met recommended this place as one of the best flying assignments in the Air Force.Now,

  • Revised 'Tongue and Quill' now available online

    What started as a research paper here nearly 30 years ago has become the Air Force’s leading reference on writing and speaking.In 1975, then-Air Command and Staff College student Maj. Hank Staley submitted as his research paper the first version of what is now “The Tongue and Quill.”The latest

  • Global posture realignment to take place over time

    "The first message I would pass to troops and their families is that they needn't pack their bags," a senior Department of Defense official said Aug. 17, referring to plans for globally realigning U.S. armed forces.Andrew Hoehn, deputy assistant secretary of defense for strategy, reassured

  • Forward-deployed civilians play vital role in terror war

    The death of a Department of the Air Force civilian in Iraq on Aug. 8 brings attention to some of the unsung heroes of the war effort: Thousands of Army, Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy civilian employees who have voluntarily put themselves in harm's way to support the war on terrorism.Special

  • Crew chief follows, sets example

    "I want everyone I meet to know how proud I am to be part of the best air force in the world," said Tech. Sgt. Scott Stout, an F-15 Eagle maintenance trainer assigned to the 372nd Training Squadron’s Detachment 12 here."I like seeing the reflection of my ribbons and medals in people's eyes,”

  • Holloman maintainers training at Kunsan

    Wearing chemical warfare gear is nothing new for F-117 Nighthawk maintainers from the 49th Fighter Wing at Holloman Air Force Base, N.M. Wing Airmen have been to almost every “hot spot” in the world supporting Air Force global missions.About 300 Airmen and their stealth aircraft from Holloman are

  • Civil engineers benefit from F-117 deployment

    Civil engineers are reaping the benefits of an air and space expeditionary force deployment of F-117 Nighthawks here. Building and maintaining a home for about 300 Airmen from the 49th Fighter Wing at Holloman Air Force Base, N.M., has been a great training opportunity for the civil engineers, said

  • Bush announces global posture changes during next decade

    The United States will redistribute forces now stationed at overseas locations "where the wars of the last century ended," President Bush announced in Cincinnati on Aug. 16. The president's announcement came during an address to the national convention of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. "The world has

  • Expeditionary fuels flight fighting gas spills

    When a 50,000-gallon capacity fuel bladder reaches the end of its lifespan, there is little anyone can do to stop the massive rupture and potential tidal wave in the fuel pits.But that is what the Airmen of the 380th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron try to foresee and head off every

  • CMSAF speaks to Nellis Airmen

    Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force Gerald R. Murray visited here Aug. 11 and 12 and during his stay stressed that Airmen are the Air Force’s most important assets.“The strength of the Air Force is no longer the aircraft flying over the targets; it’s our Airmen in supply, vehicle maintenance, finance

  • New leadership course for chiefs in final development

    Although the transition to chief master sergeant may not be seamless, a new course will aim at eliminating some of the obstacles newly promoted chiefs may encounter.The Chief Master Sergeant Leadership Course, developed at the Air Force Senior NCO Academy at nearby Gunter Annex, becomes the fourth

  • Now showing: Aug. 16 edition of AFTV News

    The expanded role of North American Aerospace Defense Command headlines the latest edition of Air Force Television News. In a special “Eye on the Air Force,” Tech. Sgt. Bill Scherer goes to Rome, N.Y., to spotlight the Airmen who make up the Northeast sector of NORAD. He shows how their role has

  • Airman arraigned in Kirtland murder

    An 898th Munitions Squadron Airman here was arraigned in the 2nd Judicial District Court for the state of New Mexico on Aug. 10 for allegedly murdering another Airman also assigned to the squadron.Senior Airman Nathan Roberts is being held at a local detention center on $300,000 bond and faces an

  • Sergeant witnesses birth of son 10,000 miles away

    Tech. Sgt. Troy Goodman did not sit by his wife's hospital bed when she gave birth to their second son. Instead, he sat more than 10,000 miles away in tent city watching the delivery via Webcam.“I was woken up at 2 a.m., and got in touch with my wife at 3 a.m. By 4 a.m., I was logged into the IP

  • Hurricane chasers gear up for Charley

    Mother Nature is poised to unleash hurricane-force winds and torrential downpours here in the wee hours of Aug. 13 from Hurricane Charley. While most people at MacDill have battened down the hatches and headed away from danger, the pilots and meteorologists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric

  • Engine workers keep A-10 flying in Afghanistan

    When A-10 Thunderbolt II pilots fly over Afghanistan, one system ensures they continue to provide top cover for coalition forces.The engines.“Without engines, the aircraft really couldn’t get off the ground,” said Airman 1st Class Quinn Eisenbraun, of the 354th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance

  • Lab welcomes 15-year-old doctoral student

    Air Force Research Laboratory experts routinely welcome college students to their facilities and give them a taste of what scientists and engineers do for the military. In turn, they hope to harness the young talent after they graduate.Playing host to Alia Sabur for summer research is not really

  • Engineers design a lighter AC-130 ammunition rack

    The AC-130H gunship’s mighty arsenal has a new home that is lighter and more efficient for the low-flying hunter of the sky. And, its engineers and users said the modification is making a positive difference.A new ammunition rack is more than 1,000 pounds lighter than its predecessor -- a weight

  • JEFX 04 execution phase ends in success

    Two years, three spirals and three weeks of simulated combat in a fictional area of operations culminated in the completion of the Joint Expeditionary Force Experiment 2004 execution phase here Aug. 5. JEFX 04 assessed 15 new initiatives in technology and processes designed to increase command and

  • Sergeant sees dollar signs with his idea

    Reading the fine print really paid off for one sergeant here. Staff Sgt. Neal Dion, a 364th Training Squadron aircraft systems instructor, received $10,000 for his submission to the Air Force IDEA program.Sergeant Dion was a liaison for The Boeing Company in the KC-10 Extender program at Travis Air

  • Scientists studying aircrew long-haul comfort

    For many Air Force aircrews, discomfort caused by sitting on extended missions is just part of the job.Col. Kerry Keithcart, a KC-135 Stratotanker pilot for the 434th Air Refueling Wing at Grissom Air Reserve Base, Ind., said he and his crew do what they can to make those longer missions more

  • New system leading way for safer military flights

    Thanks to a new software-based program being implemented here, terminal instrument procedures specialists will soon be able to support flying missions within U.S. Air Forces in Europe’s area of operations more efficiently and with increased safety.The new system, called the Global Procedure

  • 2005 NCO retraining program under way

    Air Force officials want more than 1,000 noncommissioned officers to pick a new job during the voluntary phase of the fiscal 2005 NCO retraining program that began Aug. 3.Eligible NCOs have until Sept. 30 to apply. If the Air Force does not meet its goal of placing 1,098 Airmen from overage career

  • Center professionals helping fight terrorism

    A well-trained terrorist looks for ways to exploit his target's vulnerabilities; however, through training and vigilance, the malicious deeds of America's enemies can be foiled.That is the message people from the U.S. Air Force Counterproliferation Center here want to spread.With the motto, "We

  • Team in desert decides when bombs go ‘Boom!’

    In a country still struggling to overcome the devastations of war and terror, U.S. servicemembers are helping rebuild Afghanistan's infrastructure and weed out the terrorist trail left behind.Five explosive ordnance disposal flight people from here are taking part in this process at Khandahar Air

  • JEFX breaks new ground in expeditionary info collection

    The Air Force is breaking new ground at the Joint Expeditionary Force Exercise 2004, with the Visualization of Expeditionary Sites Tool.VEST is an initiative designed for planners to prepare for all phases of air and space expeditionary operations. It is the only support initiative being tested at

  • New procedures will ensure absentee ballots count

    With the 2004 elections fast approaching, the handling of absentee ballots from overseas servicemembers is undergoing intense scrutiny. Air Combat Command's 82nd Communications Support Squadron postal flight is among the many organizations working to make sure these ballots arrive in the hands of

  • Longer school gives security forces more training

    The charter class of a longer, more intensive Security Forces Apprentice Course began here July 23.Training now lasts 65 days instead of 51, and teaches security forces students about missile security, convoy actions, capture and recovery of nuclear weapons, law enforcement, directing traffic and

  • Recruiting school marks 50 years at Lackland

    More than 4.3 million people have joined the Air Force in the past 50 years through the efforts of enthusiastic recruiters trained at the Air Force Recruiting School here.“Every recruiter has to come through this school first,” said Tech. Sgt. Lynn Bryan, one of 14 active-duty recruiting instructors

  • Assessment team answering JEFX questions

    What distinguishes the Joint Expeditionary Force Experiment 2004 here from an exercise is not just the addition of new innovations, but the work of more than 200 people on the experiment’s assessment team.These analysts are responsible for collecting and compiling the experiment findings for

  • ‘SOLE power’ present during experiment

    When most people think of special operations forces the image that comes to mind is a dusty, gritty warrior with a rifle in one hand and a land-mobile radio in the other.Within the Combined Air and Space Operations Center these warriors have traded their stealth and rifles for a computer and a

  • Marathon becomes official Air Force event

    The U.S. Air Force Marathon has been flying high for eight years and Air Force Services Agency officials recently approved it as an official Air Force event."The official endorsement has always been kind of understood, it's just never been written formally; now it will be," said Steve Carlyon, the

  • Feeding program will assist warriors with new rations

    The Defense Department's combat feeding program at the U.S. Army Soldier System Center in Natick, Mass., is a "one-stop shop for all combat-rations development, field food-service equipment and total combat feeding systems," according to the Defense Department's combat-feeding director.Gerald Darsch

  • Organizations team up to protect range from lead pollution

    A steel-bullet trap will collect several hundred thousand rounds of lead annually at the 78th Security Forces Squadron’s small-arms range here, thanks to two agencies on base.A cooperative-funding venture between Warner Robins Air Logistics Center’s environmental management directorate and the 78th

  • JEFX analyzes battlespace chain reactions

    Sun Tzu once said, “If you know the enemy and know yourself, the victory is not at risk.”The strategy division of the Combined Air and Space Operations Center here is giving Sun Tzu’s strategy a whole new meaning with a new operational assessment tool being used as part of the Effects-based

  • Sergeant enjoys ‘clowning around’ for children

    At work, he is a supervisor in the Joint Intelligence Center of U.S. Strategic Command here. During his off time, he takes on a whole different persona -- two personas to be exact.Senior Master Sgt. A.J. Johnson has two alter egos, and they both are a couple of clowns. Kleenax is a friendly

  • Warfighters get ‘sneak peak’ at JEFX

    Battle management in the Air Force is changing, and 58 Airmen and two Soldiers from 14 different home bases are helping to shape its future.The Battle Control Center-Experimental, currently being tested and evaluated at the Joint Expeditionary Force Experiment 2004, is a bridge between the Air

  • Contact Center keeping customers No. 1

    A customer satisfaction survey shows a favorable response to the Air Force Contact Center here. Open 24 hours a day, seven days a week (except for Independence Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day), the contact center staff answers questions from hundreds of people a day from around the

  • Synchronization system brings awareness to warfighters

    A new set of synchronization capabilities are being tested and experimented with here at Joint Expeditionary Force Experiment 2004, the fifth in a series of major chief of staff of the Air Force-sponsored experiments that test new and emerging technologies.Global Concept-of-operations

  • Going from Air Force to NASA blue for astronaut wings

    It is the all too famous image seen across the world -- the orange suits, the big smiles, the friendly waves -- as an astronaut crew prepares to launch out of Earth’s orbit. Since the first U.S. manned space flight in 1961, the Air Force has been a part of the nation’s space program.There are some

  • Army, Air Force sharing battle information

    Parked under camouflaged netting in the heat of the Nevada sun is an extended cab Humvee equipped with all the modern comforts of home: vinyl seats, air conditioning, tinted windows and four 23-inch plasma displays.It is not the Army’s version of a stretch limousine, but an element of the Army’s

  • Raptor continuing Air Force's air superiority record

    With air dominance training under way here, the Air Force's newest asset, the F/A-22 Raptor, is proving its worth every day as it nears initial operational capability.The Raptor will eventually replace the F-15 Eagle, an aircraft with an undefeated 104-0 combat record, according to Brig. Gen. Larry

  • August issue of Airman available

    Read about Airmen protecting convoys in Iraq, discover what it takes to become an astronaut, and learn how the rich ecosystem at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is being protected. These features and more highlight the August issue of Airman magazine, now available in print and online at

  • Airman makes good on promise

    To Airman Diana Herbert, her reason for serving in the Air Force was simple. She made a promise.She did not seek or want the attention she is getting, but that does not change the enormity of her promise to her brother, Army Pfc. Rayshawn Johnson.Airman Herbert, 18, fulfilled her pledge July 28

  • Now showing: Aug. 2 edition of Air Force Television News

    The Air Force’s contribution to treating the wounded in Iraq is featured in the latest edition of Air Force Television News.Tech. Sgt. Pachari Lutke visits Balad Air Base, Iraq, where Air Force and Army doctors, nurses and medical technicians work side by side to deal with battle casualties. For

  • Liaison officers provide link to Naval airpower during JEFX

    For Sailors, it is not the typical tour of duty – witnessing rows of Airmen dimly outlined against the faint glow of computer screens requesting Naval airpower for a coordinated strike against enemy assets.The setting is the Combined Air and Space Operations Center and the tour of duty is the Naval

  • Deployed senior NCOs offered course in leadership

    Future senior noncommissioned officers at one forward-deployed location were recently given an opportunity that until now might have been available only to those at their home stations.Twenty-six master sergeant selectees attended the first Senior Noncommissioned Officer Symposium held in the U.S.

  • Incirlik Airman found guilty of black marketing

    An Airman here was found guilty of black marketing during a summary court-martial recently.The Airman received a reduction in rank from staff sergeant to senior airman, restriction to base for 60 days and a verbal reprimand.“The Airman needed to accomplish paperwork for personal business, and a few

  • Motorcycle safety important part of critical days

    Since the start of the “101 Critical Days of Summer,” at least 16 Airmen have been injured or killed in motorcycle accidents, primarily because they lacked proper training or were not wearing all the required safety gear when they went down.Rod Krause, the 5th Bomb Wing safety office manager here

  • Major commands highlight support, sustainment issues

    Air Force acquisition and management officials met with Air Mobility Command leaders here July 27 to review programs, discuss sustainment issues and look for ways to better support air mobility warriors.Dr. Marvin R. Sambur, assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition; Gen. John W. Handy,

  • Army Guardsmen help save Air Force baby

    Army National Guardsmen here did more than just pull gate security duty late July 27 -- they helped save the life of the 8-month-old daughter of an Air Force sergeant.The infant stopped breathing as the family was passing through a gate on the way to the hospital“It was probably the most frightening

  • Pentagon Channel available to all Airmen

    The Pentagon Channel is available to practically every active-duty, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve Airman and his or her family thanks to a recent expansion of services.Officials from the office of the secretary of defense for public affairs made the Pentagon Channel free to all cable

  • Tricare South Region begins transition August 1

    Department of Defense officials announced July 28 the continuation of its move toward new military health-care contractors and changes in regional areas of responsibility. On Aug. 1, Tricare-eligible beneficiaries in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, eastern Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and

  • Gridlock technology brings coordinates to warfighters

    Gridlock, or precision Geo-registration of Imagery from Airborne Platforms, provides a machine-to-machine capability for military imagery interpreters that can do in one minute what a targeteer, or target designator, would take between 20 minutes to never to accomplish.This technology for tomorrow’s

  • Plans on table to sustain Minuteman III

    The officer in charge of America's intercontinental ballistic missile force said plans are well under way to sustain the life of the Minuteman III missile until the year 2020.Maj. Gen. Frank Klotz, 20th Air Force commander, visited here recently and spoke about the future of America's ICBM force.

  • Mask liner giving Airmen a second skin

    A simple innovation in chemical protection gear could save thousands of Airmen’s lives and millions of Air Force dollars, according to the support equipment team here.Known as the second skin, or SS, the recent addition to the MCU-2P and the MCU-2A/P personal protective gas masks adds a literal

  • Air Force ROTC closing detachments next summer

    Air Force ROTC officials are closing detachments at the University of Akron in Ohio, and Grambling State University in Louisiana next summer.In the summer 2007, officials will close AFROTC detachments at the University of Memphis in Tennessee; University of Cincinnati in Ohio; Wilkes University in

  • Air Force leaders support C-130J program

    Air Force officials are standing by the C-130J Hercules as the aircraft prepares to join the fight, despite a recent Department of Defense inspector general report criticizing the program.The Air Force fully endorses the C-130J, senior Air Force acquisitions officials said. The program is one of

  • Infrastructure key to smooth CAOC operations

    The room is abuzz with the sounds of operators and technicians. People are either intently staring at the information coming across their monitors or discussing their next move with someone else in the movie theater-sized room.They are part of Joint Expeditionary Force Experiment 2004, and Nellis’

  • Airmen begin structural analysis of C-5A

    Rolling up their sleeves, people from the 653rd Combat Logistics Support Squadron set about cutting through the skin and muscle of a C-5A Galaxy this week to remove the giant wings and lend a hand to those evaluating the aircraft’s viability for the future.Inspections began last year on a Galaxy,

  • New base map shows ‘big picture’

    People from the 78th Civil Engineer Squadron have given a whole new meaning to the term “big picture” with a new geographic information system that is putting every square inch of the base on the map -- literally.According to Ron Jones, 78th CEG systems administrator, the premise behind the system

  • Pentagon launches 'Operation Blue to Green'

    Sailors and Airmen may soon be able to "Go Army" under a new Defense Department program intended to rebalance the size of the military. The program is generating new opportunities for continued service and career advancement for those willing to transfer into the Army from other services.Under

  • Board meets at academy to discuss issues

    The U.S. Air Force Academy's Board of Visitors met here July 24 and 25 to discuss a variety of issues affecting the institution. The board is required to meet at least annually to review morale, discipline, curriculum, instruction, physical education, fiscal affairs, academic methods and other

  • Reserve forces can seek medical, dental reimbursement

    National Guard and Reserve members who paid their medical and dental bills and saved their receipts may now seek reimbursement from Tricare, officials of the military health-care system announced July 23.Officials said the system will begin processing medical and dental claims for Guard and Reserve