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  • Official: DOD committed to meeting military child-care needs

    Defense Department officials are actively engaged in improving child-care services for military parents, a top Pentagon official said here May 6.John M. Molino, deputy undersecretary of defense for military community and family policy, said the days of mostly single, barracks-dwelling servicemembers

  • Force structure, military value at heart of BRAC

    The U.S. military fighting the war on terrorism is far different from the military forces developed to confront the Soviet Union.Today's military is smaller than the Cold War force but is already more agile and more flexible. And experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan show that joint operations allow

  • Army hands over Strykers to Air Force

    With a handshake and the roar of a jet engine at Fort Polk, La., an Eielson unit became the first in the Air Force to own the latest addition to the service’s inventory – the Stryker armored vehicle.In a May 5 ceremony at Fort Polk, 3rd Air Support Operations Squadron officials obtained five of the

  • U.S. pilots train Iraqi counterparts to fly C-130 Hercules

    U.S. pilots are training their Iraqi counterparts to fly three C-130 Hercules the Iraqi air force received from the Department of Defense.Pilots and enlisted Airmen from the 777th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron at Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark., are here working hand-in-hand with pilots and

  • Officials warn about insurance, investment rip-offs

    Defense Department officials said they are working to thwart insurance and investment marketing practices that exploit servicemembers."You really have to be a little bit skeptical if somebody says if you invest a little bit of money with us today you'll have a great deal of money tomorrow," said

  • AEF Airmen ensure mission continues at Soto Cano

    For more than 20 years, Airmen have been rotating in and out of this Central American base filling short-tour requirements. Now, Airmen can deploy here.“Soto Cano is one of our permanent party bases in which Airmen are also going to fill (Air and Space Expeditionary) requirements,” said Brig. Gen.

  • Air Force wrestlers take two medals at nationals

    Air Force wrestlers left the U.S. National Wrestling Championships on April 30 in nearby Las Vegas with a silver and bronze medal and qualified five wrestlers to attend the World Team Trials. “We came into this competition understanding we are rebuilding our team,” said Richard Estrella, Air Force

  • Transient alert Airmen handle diverse airfield operations role

    On any given day, at any hour, the eight Airmen with the 416th Air Expeditionary Group transient alert flight here might be parking or caring for a transient C-17 Globemaster III or a Russian-built AN-12 cargo plane.Many of the transient aircraft that stop at the airfield are only here a short time,

  • BRAC recommendations follow lengthy process

    Few people dispute that the U.S. military has too much infrastructure to face the threats and opportunities of the 21st century. The question is, what is the best way to close or realign installations to match challenges of the new world?Since 1988, the answer has been the Base Realignment and

  • Air Force continues search for Junior ROTC instructors

    Officials continue to search for qualified instructors to serve in rapidly expanding Air Force Junior ROTC programs, said Jo Alice Talley, chief of instructor management for Air Force Junior ROTC here.The Air Force is opening 48 new Junior ROTC units in high schools in 21 states, with more to

  • U.S. Strategic Command transforming, decentralizing

    The U.S. Strategic Command is transforming by incorporating old missions, adding new ones and making the command more flexible and agile for the 21st century, officials said.STRATCOM, at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb., still maintains the U.S. nuclear deterrent, but gained a number of new missions as a

  • Airman inspired by father’s service

    In her homeland, Airman 1st Class Duong Ngo looked over countless rows of rice crops while growing up on the south Vietnamese countryside in rural Ben Tre. Today, she looks over rows of deployment equipment at the 509th Logistics Readiness Squadron mobility warehouse here. The mobility flight

  • Digital advances produce improved unmanned aerial vehicles

    One day on a gray-painted aircraft carrier tossed by turbulent seas, a grizzled Navy commander awaits the arrival of a new pilot.A teeny knock pings from the outside of the officer's watertight steel door."Come in," the commander growls. The door swings open and a squat, cylindrical object

  • Rocket-powered final exam launches

    Two semesters of work boiled down to a 10-second countdown before a cadet-built rocket blasted off here April 30.The rocket-powered final exam reached a 13,400 feet altitude in 20 seconds.The launch was part of this year’s academy FalconLaunch program, an astronautical engineering course here. The

  • Moving tents eases with ingenuity

    Airmen with the 386th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron used their ingenuity when they were asked to move a neighborhood of tents more than a mile.“We did a similar job when we got here in January, and we got the job done, but it wasn’t very efficient,” said Senior Master Sgt. Kerry Roberts,

  • Academy sports recap: Falcons snap 47-game losing streak

    Karl Bolt's 11th inning walk-off home run snapped the Air Force Academy's 47-game Mountain West Conference losing streak April 30 at home.The Falcons defeated Brigham Young University 8-7 in a game called by umpires April 29 because of darkness. The game was tied 7-7 after nine innings.Bolt, who was

  • JSTARS reaches 10,000 combat hours in Southwest Asia

    The E-8 Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System reached 10,000 combat hours in Southwest Asia.The aircraft and its operators, maintainers and support people have had a continuous presence in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility since July 2003 as part of the 379th Air Expeditionary

  • AFRL robots work to counter bomb threats

    After a civil engineer was injured by a submunition while clearing a beddown area during the early days of Operation Iraqi Freedom at Tallil Air Base, Iraq, it was time to find a solution to the problemRobotics research group officials are investigating the next generation of robotic devices to

  • Winners save Air Force millions

    Eight Air Force teams and three people recently received top honors for their money-saving improvements to the Air Force.The Air Force Productivity Excellence Award recognizes Airmen, Air Force civilians and small groups who have made substantial improvements in productivity. The winners' efforts

  • Experienced maintainers train active-duty Airmen

    Spending four years on active duty and 26 years in the Vermont Air National Guard, Chief Master Sgt. Tim Brisson has a wealth of experience as an aircraft maintainer. He has just about seen it all -- until April 25.That was when officials at Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., and the Vermont Guard signed

  • Air Force focuses on religious respect

    One’s religious beliefs, or the absence of beliefs in an established religion, should never be grounds for unlawful discrimination, the chief of the Air Force Chaplain Service said.Chaplain (Maj. Gen.) Charles C. Baldwin recently explained the role of chaplains and respect for others’ beliefs

  • Promotion study guides hit streets in May

    The latest edition of enlisted promotion study guides will hit the streets by the end of May, Air Education and Training Command officials here said.Both the Promotion Fitness Examination and the U.S. Air Force Supervisory Examination, officially known as Volumes 1 and 2 of Air Force Pamphlet

  • Training ensures reservists ready to go

    Air Force Space Command reservists tested a common training assembly concept here April 22 and 23 to ensure nearly 350 individual mobilization augmentees were trained and ready for mobilization.Reservists need to be trained at the same level as their active-duty counterparts. While active-duty

  • Airmen strut their stuff for civilian leaders

    As part of the Joint Civilian Orientation Conference, a weeklong tour of military installations for top civic and community leaders nationwide, the 347th Rescue Wing pulled out all stops April 26 for the visiting group of civic leaders.The tour highlights the latest U.S. military equipment and

  • Andrews chief goes to wire on quiz show

    An Airman from here got a chance to “Stump the Schwab” on ESPN2’s nationally televised sports quiz show April 26.Chief Master Sgt. Troy Marvin, the 89th Communications Group superintendent, finished as the top contestant and came within one question of winning $5,000.The show is centered around

  • Technology unites Airmen in matrimony

    Nearly 7,000 miles of desert and ocean could not keep two Airmen from tying the knot. Maj. Heather Villasenor, who is at a forward-deployed location in Southwest Asia, married Lt. Col. Michael Bryant on April 26. The wedding was held in Southwest Asia -- and Virginia. Colonel Bryant, the Joint

  • Space, air warfare centers integrate capabilities

    The Air Force is integrating some forces to better manage air, space and information operations combat capabilities to support missions worldwide, Air Force officials announced April 26. Elements of Air Force Space Command’s Space Warfare Center at Schriever Air Force Base, Colo., will integrate

  • America remembers Desert One heroes

    America honored eight American servicemen April 25 who died attempting to rescue American hostages in Iran 25 years ago.A ceremony here brought together the families of those killed, their comrades and those servicemembers who carry on the special operations mission.In November 1979, Iranian

  • Space command takes youth fitness to new level

    Airmen have been plugging away at the new fitness test for more than a year now, but they are not alone in the quest to increase their activity level on a regular basis.Air Force Space Command children are increasing their fitness levels as well as part of an Air Force initiative, “Fitness in Time,”

  • C-17s get state-of-the-art home

    When the 452nd Air Mobility Wing here welcomes eight C-17 Globemaster IIIs later this year, the aircraft will be maintained in an environmentally friendly hangar that is larger than a football field and incorporates advanced construction technology.“We wanted it to appear it belonged here -- have it

  • Air Force officials announce OTS selections

    More than 130 people were selected for an Air Force commission, Air Force Recruiting Service officials here announced April 26.The officials considered 231 applications as part of Officer Training School Selection Board 0504, which selected 138 people for a 60-percent selection rate. Of those, 29

  • Spangdahlem Airmen train with new high-tech weapon

    The sound of gunfire ricocheting off concrete walls is an everyday occurrence for Airmen at the combat arms training and maintenance unit here. At one of the few indoor Air Force firing ranges, the range features a target retrieval system and a hard gel backstop that will soon be replaced by a steel

  • McConnell holds wingwide fitness test

    More than 1,200 Airmen from the 22nd Air Refueling Wing took their physical fitness test here April 22.All 1,200-plus Airmen completed their run and received a series of “wingman” briefings within a four-hour span, but working out the logistics of the wingwide test took months of planning.To

  • U.S., Japanese Airmen train together during air refueling

    American fighter pilots are helping Japanese airmen expand their F-15 Eagle combat capabilities during hands-on air-to-air bilateral refueling training here.The Japanese F-15 aircraft mechanical refueling capability is identical to U.S. Air Force F-15s. However, it was not until Japanese officials

  • Base agencies keep rotations moving in right direction

    A question is asked of everyone on a rotator flight that has just landed at a forward-deployed location, “Are you staying here or going downrange?” It is an easy question for new arrivals to answer, but few people, whether inbound or outbound, are aware of the process used to funnel servicemembers

  • Center receives DOD’s most powerful supercomputer

    Aeronautical Systems Center’s major shared resource center officials here announced April 25 the installation of the newest and most powerful supercomputer in the Department of Defense.The 2,048-processor supercomputer will aid weapon systems design of innovative materials, advance design concepts,

  • Military struggling with rising health-care costs

    Rising medical costs and the expansion of health benefits for retirees, guardsmen and reservists, and their families, are putting a strain on the military health-care system, Defense Department health and personnel officials told members of Congress on April 21.“Rising health-care costs are not

  • Quadrennial Defense Review focuses on future

    The four capabilities the Air Force brings to the joint warfighting environment will be the focus of the service's contribution to the 2005 Quadrennial Defense Review.Officials in the office of the secretary of defense produce the Quadrennial Defense Review every four years with input from the

  • Air Force leads in purchase of reusable energy

    The Air Force topped the list of purchasers of renewable energy in 2004, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.The service bought nearly 321,000 megawatt-hours for use on bases nationwide. In fact, the Air Force was responsible for more than 40 percent of the renewable power purchased by

  • Newly designed chamber increases aircraft safety

    Technicians in the Tank and Cooler Unit at the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center here push the limits of weapons systems to ensure their safety in the field, sometimes with explosive results.“One of our prime tasks is doing proof pressure testing … before sending them to the field,” said Steven

  • Cannon Airmen help police catch murder suspect

    Like a scene out of the TV series “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” two multimedia flight Airmen here helped local law enforcement officials solve a grisly murder recently.Senior Airman Michael Garza and Airman 1st Class Tiffany Curbeam, both of the 27th Communications Squadron, answered their

  • Parts storage on the ‘rise’ in electronics

    What do you do when you run out of floor space for storage? If you work in the 402nd Electronics Maintenance Group here, you look up.Jim Bon and Kevin Shanahan, facilities and production engineers supporting the F-15 Eagle avionics squadron here, are overseeing the installation of shuttle storage

  • 'Lifecycle Funds' aim to maximize retirement savings

    Recent surveys show most people contributing to Department of Defense-sponsored thrift savings accounts shun riskier investment options and are not getting maximum returns to build bigger retirement nest eggs, a DOD thrift savings plan specialist said here April 20.“The vast majority of participants

  • OSI exhibit opens at Air Force museum

    An exhibit highlighting the Air Force's criminal investigative service is open to the public at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force here."Eyes of the Eagle: The Air Force Office of Special Investigations" exhibit joins the museum's permanent displays in the Cold War Gallery.The exhibit

  • New program helps smokers kick habit

    For smokers looking to kick the habit, nothing could be more useful than a little guardian angel sitting on their shoulder, keeping track each time they reach for a smoke, taking notes and reviewing the results with them each week.Although not angels, health and wellness center officials here said

  • Shuttle exercise tests NASA, Edwards response teams

    Support crews from NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, Kennedy Space Center and the base teamed up in a mock shuttle recovery exercise on the flightline here April 16.The day began around 9 a.m. as a vehicle convoy snaked its way down the flightline to the main runway."We always come out for these

  • Guard, Reserve leaders testify on Capitol Hill

    The directors of the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve testified April 20 on readiness and management support before the Senate Armed Services Committee subcommittee.Lt. Gen. Daniel James III, Air National Guard director, told senators he sees positive benefits to the community basing

  • 5-year-old cancer survivor plays pilot for a day

    The newest member of the 334th Fighter Squadron here cannot even reach the rudder pedals in an F-15E Strike Eagle, but that does not keep Evan “Big E” Moriarty from being one of the squadron’s Fightin’ Eagles.The 5-year-old Fayetteville, N.C., native recently had a cancerous tumor the size of a

  • Airmen maintain national defense in weapons storage area

    Separated from the rest of the base by miles of fence topped with razor wire and high-tech surveillance equipment, certain Airmen here see few people during the duty day other than their military counterparts. For that, their daily efforts go largely unnoticed.They are Airmen assigned to the 5th

  • Airmen, Soldiers donate goods to Uzbek baby orphanage

    Seven Airmen, four Soldiers and five civilian interpreters recently delivered handmade baby quilts, baby formula, diapers, clothes, toys and other humanitarian goods to a baby orphanage in nearby Qitab.“Seeing the children smile and laugh as we played with them was the highlight of my visit there,”

  • Comm squadron makes mission possible

    Miles of wires weaving information through walls and underground pathways connect each facility together to form a network so Airmen can make a phone call or log onto a computer and accomplish their mission here.Communication is what most people take for granted. Having a working phone or computer

  • Contingency response team prepares airfield for Italians

    In fewer than 45 days, tanker airlift control element Airmen will achieve what some may deem impossible.This 47-person team, primarily deployed from the 621st Contingency Response Wing at McGuire Air Force Base, N.J., is preparing nearby Herat for more than 300 Italian troops as they lead the

  • Weather Airmen protect shuttle

    Airmen of the 45th Weather Squadron here methodically calculate and determine if weather will threaten a future shuttle launch. Rain, lightning, wind and cloud coverage can instantly delay or “scrub” any shuttle, mission or rocket launch.“We have temperature, wind and rain constraints (because of)

  • Officials expand existing whistleblower protections

    Blowing the whistle on waste, fraud and abuse at work seems like the last thing workers would do if they wanted to keep their jobs and advance their careers.But that is exactly what servicemembers and federal civilian employees are required by executive order to do, and officials at the Office of

  • Language latest weapon in America's 21st century arsenal

    Despite the tremendous advances in military hardware and technology on display in the war on terrorism, there are still some capabilities only humans can provide.That was the thinking behind a new initiative to improve foreign language and cultural expertise at the Defense Department, said a top DOD

  • Academy sports recap: gymnastics coach honored

    Air Force Academy men’s gymnastics head coach Lou Burkel was named West Region Coach of the Year by the Collegiate Gymnastics Association April 6. He also was awarded the Richard M. Aronson Special Service Awards, which honors individuals who have provided exceptional service to the

  • Aircraft lighter ban also applies to servicemembers

    Anyone -- including servicemembers -- carrying lighters will be required to surrender them at U.S. airport security checkpoints before boarding aircraft under a new federal law that became effective April 14, Transportation Security Administration officials said.The new law also applies to military

  • Air Force Academy selected as ‘Best Value College’

    The U.S. Air Force Academy is one of the nation’s "best value" undergraduate institutions, according to a Princeton Review report.The New York-based education services company announced April 18 that it chose the academy as one of 81 schools it recommends in the new 2006 edition of its book,

  • New course helps Airmen get combat ready

    Airmen graduating from the fuels apprentice course are now two to three months closer to combat-ready status after arriving at their first base, said course instructors here.Students are learning how to set up a mobile gas station and other duties during a new seven-day contingency course, said

  • Commanders get sexual-assault prevention, response help

    The new sexual assault response coordinator at Air Force bases will help commanders improve response to sexual assault. As part of an effort to curtail sexual assaults within the ranks, DOD officials directed the services to appoint a coordinator at all appropriate levels of command. The

  • Policy offers confidentiality to sexual-assault victims

    A new Department of Defense policy allows sexual-assault victims to confidentially report crimes against them. In a March memorandum to service secretaries, DOD officials directed all military branches implement restricted (confidential) reporting withing 90 days.The policy allows victims of sexual

  • Airmen cross 100-mission milestone

    Somewhere out there is an old Air Force veteran who has been around and has seen practically everything. Impressing him will not be easy, but you try. First, you tell him you just logged 100 combat missions in a tanker. Impressive, but he does not flinch. Then you tell him you did it in just

  • England briefs Senate on new civilian personnel system

    The Civil Service system began in the 1880s to foster a professional federal work force, and the National Security Personnel System continues that spirit, said Navy Secretary Gordon R. England here April 14.Secretary England is the Defense Department’s senior executive for the system, which will

  • Upgrades retrofit T-38 with latest technology

    Airmen from the 416th Flight Test Squadron wrapped up flight tests on software upgrades in an ongoing T-38 Talon avionics upgrade here recently.The latest set of upgrades is the third in a series. During this series, testers performed about 18 sorties October through April, validating the new

  • Contingency response wing activates at Travis

    When the 615th Contingency Response Wing stood up here April 11, the mobility mission of 15th Expeditionary Mobility Task Force’s expanded along with it.“The activation of CRWs and associated groups at Travis and McGuire (Air Force Base, N.J.) is not only historic, but clearly signals our resolve to

  • Guardsmen charged with smuggling Ecstasy on C-5

    Two Airmen from the New York Air National Guard’s 105th Airlift Wing have been charged with importing narcotics from Germany to the United States after being arrested April 12 on federal narcotics charges, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney’s office for the southern district of New

  • Brain Injury Center treats new affliction for war on terrorism

    Land mines, rocket-propelled grenades and improvised explosive devices are taking their toll on deployed U.S. troops’ bodies. What is not as easily recognizable is the damage these weapons are doing to servicemembers’ brains.Traumatic brain injury, or TBI, is becoming an increasingly common

  • Bowsers make draining KC-135s more efficient

    A new piece of equipment is making things cleaner and easier for 92nd Maintenance Squadron Airmen here.While the two fuel bowsers are still new, Airmen have found the machines greatly improve the process of draining fuel from KC-135 Stratotankers, said Staff Sgt. David Shurley, a fuels systems

  • AFRC streamlines augmentee program

    Air Force Reserve Command officials here are working with other major commands to streamline management of individual mobilization augmentees.In the past, the Air Force's 12,900 IMAs in the Selected Reserve reported administratively to the various active-duty units where most of them are assigned.

  • Sustainability of installations, environment key to readiness

    The best way to ensure that today’s warfighters have what they need to fight and win in the post-Sept. 11 world is to sustain the viability of both military installations and their surrounding environments, a defense official said here April 12.That idea of sustainability -- of the military

  • 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

  • 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

  • Dominguez: Recapitalization No. 1 priority

    Modernizing the Air Force’s aging systems is the No. 1 priority for the service’s acting secretary.Michael L. Dominguez recently gained the responsibility as acting secretary of the Air Force, besides his other duty as assistant secretary of the Air Force for manpower and reserve affairs. "The

  • Air Guard medics return from homeland security exercise

    More than 20 guardsmen from the Scotia-based 109th Airlift Wing here returned home from Newark Airport, N.J., on April 7 after participating in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Top Officials 3 exercise.Medics from the 139th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron and an LC-130 Hercules flight crew

  • Balad’s pharmacy techs help save lives

    Within the chaotic center of the Air Force Theater Hospital here is a group of Airmen whose job is to ease pain and help people heal faster.The Airmen in Balad’s pharmacy ensure people on the way to surgery or on the way out of the hospital have their medications.“We support the whole hospital,

  • Air Force standardizing warfighting command, control

    Air Force officials have integrated lessons learned from past conflicts to develop and implement a new concept for command and control of the service’s fighting forces.The result is the establishment of regionally or functionally aligned Air Force warfighting headquarters worldwide designed to

  • NDI Airmen play big part in mission

    For Senior Airmen Kenda Lewis and James Cone, the nature of their work is among the most obscure in the Air Force. What they do, however, prevents disaster from taking center stage on the mission.Assigned to the 379th Expeditionary Maintenance Squadron’s nondestructive inspection lab at a

  • Chatting on Air Force Portal requires decorum

    Airmen are chatting it up in growing numbers using the Air Force Portal’s instant messaging service.But recent inappropriate comments made by some Airmen in chat rooms led officials to clarify responsible communication over the service.“The majority of the 7,000 plus Airmen using (Air Force Instant

  • Medical readiness instructors receive new C-130 trainer

    The next improvement to training medics at the 381st Training Squadron's medical readiness flight here has landed -- sort of.The flight received a C-130 Hercules on April 2 that will enhance medical evacuation training for medics scheduled to deploy.Giving medics an "as real to life as possible"

  • ‘Operation Purple’ summer camp registration begins April 15

    Registration for “Operation Purple” summer camps for children of deployed servicemembers begins April 15 on the National Military Family Association’s Web site, program officials announced April 7.The 22 Operation Purple camps provide summer camp experiences for more than 2,000 children whose

  • 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,

  • Airmen adopt-a-village … or two

    Airpower’s “global reach” took on a whole new meaning recently, when more than 50 Airmen traveled to two villages, a few miles from here, to equip local Afghan children with supplies for their future.Airmen of the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing delivered bags filled with basic school supplies to about

  • 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,”

  • Service demographics offer snapshot of force

    Air Force Personnel Center officials here recently published the quarterly demographics report offering a snapshot of the service's active-duty and civilian force, as of March 31.More information can be found online at www.afpc.randolph.af.mil/demographics/. New U.S. government rules now provide

  • Elmendorf priest recalls experiences with pope

    Perhaps the single-most discussed issue in the media lately has been the passing of Pope John Paul II. No matter where one looks for news, the pontiff's death is being mourned and his life celebrated in all corners of the globe.Chaplain (Maj.) Patrick Fletcher, a Catholic priest here, said he has

  • 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

  • International affairs cadre to build global relations

    Air Force officials will begin training more than 100 officers this spring to become international affairs specialists in a managed secondary career path.Ultimately, as many as 3,000 officers will form a pool of experts in regional, political and military affairs who will advise combatant commanders

  • 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

  • OPM helping to extend hiring preference to more veterans

    U.S. Office of Personnel Management officials are working to make veterans’ preference for federal jobs available to more veterans. One initiative is a new revised application that allows federal agencies to accept veterans’ disability letters.The revised application is being posted on OPM’s Web

  • PACAF welcomes new command chief

    Chief Master Sgt. Rodney McKinley is the new Pacific Air Forces command chief master sergeant. Chief McKinley serves as the principal consultant to the PACAF commander on all enlisted issues. His responsibilities include keeping the commander apprised of matters concerning the health, morale 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

  • Say ‘hello’ to the bad guy

    Seeing the MiG-21 Fishbed static display in the parking lot, a Soviet flag hanging from a doorway and a picture of a smiling Joseph Stalin on a nearby counter top, might make it difficult for some to believe they are actually on a U.S. Air Force base.Things definitely look and work differently here

  • Balad medics perform critical mission

    Evacuation team members brace themselves against the rotor wash of a Blackhawk helicopter as it lands, stirring up swirling clouds of dust. They immediately make their way to the chopper and hurriedly bring patients into the trauma center. Within seconds, the emergency room is buzzing with activity

  • Fighters flying new missions, Airmen serving jointly

    In the war on terrorism, both aircraft and Airmen are performing missions nobody ever thought they would, a U.S. Central Command official said. Air Force fighter aircraft are performing intelligence missions today that they have not in the past, said Lt. Gen. Lance L. Smith, CENTCOM’s deputy

  • Report recommends family-friendly initiatives

    A military women’s advisory panel recommends that the armed forces discontinue the practice of simultaneously deploying both military parents of minor children.That is among several proposed changes the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Armed Services cited in its 2004 report.“Our

  • 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

  • Airman designs new EOD vehicle

    An Airman here designed an explosive ordnance disposal vehicle that will serve as an Air Force benchmark.The original design was drawn on the back of a napkin by Staff Sgt. Phillip Hauser with the 22nd Civil Engineer Squadron here and Air Force officials have purchased more than 30 of the $274,000

  • DOD temporarily oversees selected Air Force programs

    Department of Defense officials announced March 28 that all major defense acquisition programs managed by the Air Force and designated acquisition category 1C programs will temporarily be placed under the authority of Michael Wynne, undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and