HomeNews

NATO Air Policing operations

U.S. Air Force News

  • Coalition leaflets emphasize intention to avoid landmarks

    Coalition aircrews dropped approximately 600,000 informational leaflets into Iraq on March 25. The leaflets provided a variety of messages, including one that emphasized that the coalition does not wish to harm Iraqi landmarks.The leaflet reinforces the coalition's policy to strike only targets of

  • Coalition leaflets provide safety instructions to civilians

    Coalition aircrews dropped more than 1 million informational leaflets into Iraq on March 23 providing a variety of messages, including instructions to Iraqi civilians and military troops about how to stay safe during coalition military activities.The leaflets are part of an ongoing effort to inform

  • Coalition maintainers keep C-130 in the fight

    Aircraft maintainers from the U.S. Air Force, Japanese Air Self-Defense Force and South Korean air forces teamed up during the Coalition Maintenance Exchange Program to keep deployed C-130 Hercules aircraft ready for combat recently at a Southwest Asian air base. The exchange program matched

  • Coalition maintenance team welcomes Afghan air force maintainers

    In an effort to build stronger relationships, members of Task Force Thunder at Kandahar Air Wing hosted Afghan air force maintainers for a visit recently.During a maintenance facility tour, Afghan air force members saw firsthand the processes and equipment TF Thunder teams employ into their aviation

  • Coalition mercy missions: Bringing heroes home

    The thunder of the C-130 Hercules engine vibrates through the cabin as the aircraft lifts off of the runway. Today’s mission is different than most. Today, Australians and Americans leave pallets and passengers behind, making room to gather the wounded and bring them back home. Affectionately called

  • Coalition nations sign international 'Interfly' agreement

    U.S. Air Force Surgeon General Lt. Gen. (Dr.) Charles B. Green, along with the surgeons general of Australia, Canada and Great Britain, signed an international "Interfly" Proclamation of Understanding on May 14, in Atlanta, Ga.The Interfly proclamation, which was signed during the Aerospace Medical

  • Coalition on track, forces 'flowing' into Iraq

    After five days of ground combat, coalition forces are more than 200 miles into Iraq and poised to take on forces defending Baghdad, DoD leaders said today.Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force Gen. Richard Myers told reporters at a Pentagon press

  • Coalition partnerships key in Operation Inherent Resolve

    At the forward headquarters of U.S. Air Forces Central Command at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, U.S. Airmen work closely with their counterparts from 14 nations as they plan and carry out daily air operations against the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

  • Coalition pilots strike satellite guidance jammers

    Coalition airmen struck Iraqi equipment used to jam satellite guidance systems March 24, according to defense officials.B-1B Lancers and F-117 Nighhawks bombed six Global Positioning System jammers during coalition strikes. Iraq was using the jammers in an attempt to disrupt the guidance system of

  • Coalition plans first building transition to Afghans

    Afghan National Security Forces at Camp Hero in Kandahar province are scheduled to be the first in Afghanistan to transition coalition-maintained buildings to complete Afghan control. On July 1, NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan's Infrastructure Training and Advisory Group will transition 17

  • Coalition progress 'phenomenal,' DOD officials say

    Six days into the campaign against Iraq and the coalition progress has been "phenomenal," Pentagon spokeswoman Victoria Clarke said today.Clarke, briefing at a Pentagon news conference with Army Maj. Gen. Stanley McChrystal, said the coalition is making progress on the sea, land and air."On the

  • Coalition progresses in Iraq, challenges remain on the path

    Each day the conditions in Iraq are improving and the life for the Iraqi population is starting to return to the "normal pre-war standard," said Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld.In his briefing to the Pentagon press, the secretary also said the department has no objection to officials from the

  • Coalition releases Iraqi noncombatants

    Coalition forces have released 887 Iraqi prisoners being held in the Theater Internment Facility near Umm Qasr.Pentagon officials said most were released because it was obvious they were not enemy combatants. The U.S. military did hold a tribunal under the Geneva Conventions Article V to determine

  • Coalition repels attack

    Coalition special operations forces and Afghan militia forces repelled an attack Aug. 25, with no coalition casualties and leaving more than 14 enemy dead.The attack occurred in the vicinity of Tarin Kowt in the Kandahar Province with enemy forces using small arms and rocket-propelled

  • Coalition responds to enemy attack in Fallujah

    A U.S. military AC-130H Spectre gunship fired on suspected insurgent positions in Fallujah, Iraq, on April 27, attacking weapons storage sites used by anti-coalition forces.News reports said the coalition launched the attack on targets in Fallujah at about 11 p.m. Iraq time after anti-coalition

  • Coalition search, rescue teams locate missing helicopter

    March 4 at approximately 11:56 a.m., coalition combat search and rescue teams located the wreckage of an Iraqi Mi-17 helicopter north of Lake Thar Thar. Recovery operations have been completed and there were no survivors. One coalition force member was among the eight personnel onboard. Identities

  • Coalition strikes back at Iraq

    Coalition aircraft struck at an Iraqi integrated air defense site in the northern no-fly zone Oct. 22, said Air Force Maj. Scott Covode, a spokesman for the combined task force.Both U.S. and British aircraft took part in the attack. While Covode would not specify the planes used, he did say the

  • Coalition takes "Queen of Spades," continues security operations

    The coalition has trumped the Queen of Spades in the Iraqi most-wanted deck.Muhammad Hamza Zubaydi, a former prime minister and member of the Revolutionary Command Council in Iraq, is in coalition custody, said U.S. Central Command officials. He is the highest-ranking member of the former regime

  • Coalition team restores Iraqi shrine

    Thanks to a partnership between Airmen and their Iraqi counterparts here, family and friends visiting an on-base cemetery and shrine for the first time in almost three decades were once again able to enjoy the beauty of this holy place. Airmen from the 506th Air Expeditionary Group and Iraqi airmen

  • Coalition, NATO forces take pride in Afghanistan's progress

    Afghanistan "has come alive," thanks to progress made during Operation Enduring Freedom, and troops serving there cannot help but feel motivated knowing the role they are playing in that progress, the commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe said here June 23.Gen. Robert H. "Doc" Foglesong described

  • Coalition: Withdrawal to be conditions-based

    The withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq will be based strictly on security conditions in the country and the readiness of Iraqi forces to conduct independent operations, a Multinational Force Iraq spokesman said in Baghdad on July 28.The United States will not withdraw forces until Iraqi security

  • Coalition's Iraq withdrawal plans on track, officials say

    The withdrawal of American troops from Iraq cities is on track, Iraqi and coalition officials said this week. Iraqi security forces are set to assume responsibility for the areas, Iraqi spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said at a June 15 news conference. "The step of withdrawal of American forces from the

  • Coast Guard awards sergeant for heroic actions

    Staff Sgt. John M. Rosenberry, Sr., poses alongside the gravesite of his friend Kevin Mark Emerson in Jetersville, Va., after the Coast Guard presented him a medal for his life-saving actions during a ceremony April 11. Sergeant Rosenberry was awarded the Coast Guard Silver Lifesaving Medal, and Mr.

  • Coast Guard celebrates 218th birthday

    The following birthday message is sent to the men and women of the U.S. Coast Guard from Adm. Michael G. Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff:On this, the 218th birthday of the United States Coast Guard, our nation pauses to say thanks to you, our guardians of the sea. For more than two

  • Coast Guard Incident Command Center prepares for Ike

    A Coast Guard Incident Command Center was stood up in preparation for Hurricane Ike Sept. 11 in Katy. Approximately 300 Coast Guardsmen from the Houston-Galveston sector are organizing to respond to post hurricane conditions with 25 foot response boats and helicopters prepositioned from Brownsville,

  • Coast Guard pilot traces roots to Air Force opportunities

    An Airman formed a passion for flying after enlisting in the Air Force, and with the educational benefits afforded to him, this former senior airman now flies Coast Guard helicopters here. Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Juan Lopez was once an aerospace ground equipment mechanic at Norton Air Force Base in

  • Coast Guard provides maintenance support to 302nd AEG

    Coast Guardsmen from Coast Guard Air Station Sacramento opened their hangar doors for maintainers from the 302nd Air Expeditionary Group, making it easier for them to work on the modular airborne fire fighting system-equipped C-130 Hercules aircraft that are assisting with fighting wildfires in

  • Coast Guardsmen thank Air Force ECMO team

    The men and women of the U.S. Coast Guard are in the business of saving other people's lives. It is not very often that someone has to save the life of one of their own. But, on July 22, 2006, Airmen from Wilford Hall Medical Center at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, came to the rescue of one Coast

  • Cobra Gold 19: Pilot's best friend

    On a flight line shrouded in a constant haze and tortured by Thailand’s relentless sun, the sounds of jet engines and jungle birds fill the ears of Staff Sgt. Travis Davis, 8th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron crew chief; a best friend to any 35th Fighter Squadron pilot who puts their trust in crew

  • Cocaine use lands officer second dismissal

    A conviction for wrongfully using a controlled substance for the second time in eight months earned an officer here a second dismissal from the Air Force, 12 months confinement and forfeiture of all pay and allowances.Second Lt. Bryce Terpstra was convicted of cocaine use after a required urinalysis

  • Code change: Securing critical assets

    Once a year, the codes used to launch Minot Air Force Base's intercontinental ballistic missiles need to be updated.The manual process requires hundreds of Airmen work around the clock for three weeks straight to ensure all launch facilities are accessed and the missile code change is a success.

  • Code Talker describes military experience

    The pride in Teddy Draper’s voice is evident as he talks about events that helped America win the war in the Pacific 62 years ago.Mr. Draper, who was born on a Navajo Indian reservation in Canyon Del Muerto, Ariz., was one of the Marine Corps Code Talkers who mystified the Japanese forces as the

  • Cody engages with deployed Airmen

    Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James A. Cody engaged with Airmen deployed to Afghanistan in support of the NATO Resolute Support mission and Operation Freedom’s Sentinel from April 4-6 through a series of Q&A format all calls, small group discussions and personal site visits.

  • Cody gives enlisted perspective at AFA

    Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James A. Cody spoke to a room of Airmen and civilians about today’s generation of Airmen and their families during the Air Force Association Air Warfare Symposium Feb. 25.

  • Cody gives enlisted perspective at AFA

    Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James A. Cody outlined his top priorities for the enlisted force during the Air Force Association’s annual Air Warfare Symposium and Technology Exposition in Orlando, Florida, Feb. 12.

  • Cody named next Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force

    Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III has named Chief Master Sgt. James A. Cody to serve as the 17th chief master sergeant of the Air Force.Cody will assume his new position on Feb. 1, following the Jan. 31 retirement of current Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James Roy. Roy's

  • Cody reaches out to USAFE-AFAFRICA Airmen

    Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force James A. Cody wrapped up his second visit to U.S. Air Forces in Europe-U.S. Air Forces Africa this year, tackling Airmen's questions surrounding changes to the new enlisted evaluation system, promotions, formal training and retirements.

  • Cody testifies to commission on total force

    The Air Force’s senior enlisted Airman testified in front of the National Commission on the Structure of the Air Force Oct. 25 in Arlington, Va., giving his perspective of the total force and the challenges to building the best balance for the future.

  • Cody testifies to quality of life in the Air Force

    Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James Cody testified on quality-of-life issues in the Air Force before House Appropriations Committee members March 19.The biggest challenge currently facing the Air Force is the nation's fiscal situation, Cody said, citing the looming furlough of 180,000 civilian

  • Cody visits AMC, speaks on modernization

    The chief master sergeant of the Air Force discussed Air Mobility Command’s contributions to the Air Force mission and the need to modernize the fleet during a visit to Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, Jan. 18, 2017.

  • Cody visits Incirlik Airmen

    Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James A. Cody visited Airmen and answered questions concerning the future of the force, focus changes and important issues June 17-18, at Incirlik Air Base, Turkey.

  • Cody visits Ramstein, addresses Airmen's concerns

    Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James A. Cody met with Airmen and addressed their concerns regarding the future of the Air Force during an all at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, here June 15.

  • Cody visits Soto Cano Air Base

    Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James A. Cody visited with Airmen during a trip April 13-15, at Soto Cano Air Base, Honduras. Cody visited numerous sections within the 612th Air Base Squadron and talked with Airmen on a personal level, holding several face-to-face conversations during his visit.

  • Cody: Committed to moving forward

    Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James A. Cody conveyed his commitment to taking care of Airmen during the Air Force Association Air, Space and Cyber Conference in National Harbor, Maryland, Sept. 21.

  • Cognitive computers primed to change the Air Force acquisition landscape

    Cognitive thinking machines that can critically analyze and process information accurately and at a rate faster than human capability are the type of meta-advance technologies that Sci-Fi fanatics dream of, and the Air Force is seeking to leverage this innovative technology in the world of

  • Coincidence sparks memories of storm's past

    On this date in 2005, aircrews with the Air Force Reserve's 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, better known as the "Hurricane Hunters," evacuated aircraft and personnel from Keesler Air Force Base, Miss., only to turn around,  flying into Hurricane Katrina as it barreled down on the Gulf Coast.

  • Coin-sized sensor can detect bombs

    An Air Force Office of Scientific Research-funded team has created an inexpensive sensor the size of a penny that detects bombs made with improvised peroxide explosive devices. The University of California at San Diego research team includes Dr. William Trogler, one of the inventors of the

  • Col. George Day advanced to the rank of brigadier general

    Medal of Honor recipient Col. George “Bud” Day was posthumously advanced to the rank of brigadier general during a Heritage to Horizons summer concert series at the Air Force Memorial in Arlington, Virginia, June 8, 2018.

  • Cold steel warms Airmen’s hearts

    The 446th Airlift Wing's aircraft maintenance crews are known for expertise on the job, but it is the tight, family like structure that helps keep them bonded together. Once again, they have come up with their own unique way to maintain that close-knit atmosphere, even while thousands of miles

  • Cold War hero laid to rest

    His final journey began with the beat of a drum. The sky was clear. A light breeze was blowing as the hero’s family, friends and well-wishers followed the flag-draped coffin carried by the caisson pulled by six black horses.

  • Cold War space approach must change

    Transformation across the armed forces is happening much faster than expected when the concept was announced two years ago, the Defense Department's director of force transformation told the Senate subcommittee on strategic forces."It's happening due in large part to the information and power

  • Cold War U-2 pilot gets posthumous Silver Star

    More than 50 years after his U-2 aircraft was shot down over the former Soviet Union, Capt. Francis Gary Powers posthumously received one of the military's highest decorations during a ceremony here at the Pentagon June 15.Powers, who died in a helicopter crash in 1977, was awarded the Silver Star

  • Cold weather warning: Silent killer lurks

    Air Force medical officials warn personnel to be aware of the dangers that can accompany the use of home heating systems during cold weather. The greatest danger comes from carbon monoxide poisoning. "CO is a silent killer," said Lt. Col. (Dr.) Shawn Varney the 59th Medical Wing Emergency Department

  • Collaborating to win wars … with water

    U.S. Air Force and NASA officials gathered to celebrate their collaboration and the initial operational capability of Global Hydro-Intelligence, a strategic tool designed to predict and manage water-related risks for military leaders.

  • Collaboration drove earthquake relief, commander says

    A rapid response and cooperation led to a successful humanitarian relief effort in the aftermath of last month's devastating earthquakes in Indonesia, a Navy commander said. Navy Rear Adm. Richard Landolt, commander of the Amphibious Force 7th Fleet based in Okinawa, Japan, described the operation,

  • Collaboration improves solar storm forecasting

    A new partnership between the Air Force Research Laboratory and the Air Force Weather Agency seeks to reduce the impact of space environmental effects on Department of Defense assets through better forecasting of violent solar storms. Space-based communications, navigation and surveillance systems

  • Collaboration improves treatment of unseen scars of war

    Several times every week, a team of about 50 specialists gathers around a conference table at the National Naval Medical Center here to assess the progress of every wounded warrior undergoing treatment at the hospital. They bring an array of expertise to the discussion, with specialties in

  • Collaboration is key to family support effort, official says

    Collaboration is at the heart of the government's new military family support directive and is the key to supporting service members and their families in the months and years ahead, a Defense Department official said Jan. 26."We clearly are trying to find in every agency in the government ways to

  • Collaboration key to success in cyber operations

    The Air Force Information Technology Conference opened Aug. 24 in Montgomery, Ala., with keynote addresses from the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs, the Air Force chief of staff and the CEO of McAfee, Inc. Collaboration emerged as a key theme in the opening day of the conference, which is now in

  • Collaborative effort in making force structure changes

    Air Force total force officials discussed the strategic planning efforts that resulted in making the 'hard choices' affecting future Air Force viability and force structure here Feb. 22. Driven by the 2011 Budget Control Act and new defense strategy, the Air Force needed to align the current force

  • Collaborative tools assist initiatives during JEFX '06

    The Air Force Command and Control Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Center sponsored a new collaborative tool that was part of the Joint Expeditionary Force Experiment 2006 here. The Integrated Battlespace Collaborative Communications tool, known as IBC2, was tested over the new Tactical

  • Collection of ‘heroic’ Airmen stories to be released in February

    The latest edition of an annual collection of heroic Airmen stories is slated to be released the first week of February, the project officer said Jan. 10. Portraits in Courage was designed to tell Airmen’s stories of courage, valor and heroism, Maj. John Baum said.

  • College classroom dedicated to fallen Airman

    Elmendorf AFB leaders dedicated a college classroom to a fallen Airman here May 18.Staff Sgt. Timothy L. Bowles was killed in action March 15, 2009 by an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan.The room, centrally located between the dormitories, was built to increase the number of Airmen taking

  • College grants available for children of deceased combat vets

    Maj. Kevin Wilkins died of an illness that resulted from his military service in Operation Iraqi Freedom.This left his wife, Jill, wondering how she was going to handle being a single parent and how she was going to pay for her son and daughter's college education. Then she found out about the "Iraq

  • College grants offered to Airmen's families

    Air Force Aid Society officials said they are offering as many as 4,500 college education grants to Air Force family members through the Gen. Henry H. Arnold Education Grant Program.Applications for the $1,500 need-based grants must be received by March 11.The program is open to dependent children

  • College of American Pathologists lauds Ellsworth lab

    Officials from the College of American Pathologists recently accredited the medical laboratory here after a thorough inspection, examining everything from needles and giant rubber bands to each of the more than 1,000 processes involved in maintaining a lab. "(The inspectors) actually go through each

  • College students receive training through AF internship

    College students can intern in Air Force youth and recreation programs - and get paid for it.The Air Force Services Agency Student Intern Program is open to college juniors, or older, to become Air Force nonappropriated fund employees at nearly any Air Force installation world-wide, and earn college

  • College tests offered for Airmen manning internment camp

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

  • Colombian Kfirs fighters train with the A-10, F-16

    Six Colombian Air Force Kfir fighter jets on their way to Red Flag 18-3 at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, stopped at Davis-Monthan AFB from July 5-16, to train with A-10 Thunderbolt IIs and F-16 Fighting Falcons.

  • Colonel promotes soccer for Afghan girls

    On a sunny day nearly six months ago, Air Force Col. AnneMarie Fenton witnessed a sight on the International Security Assistance Force helicopter landing zone here that reminded her of home: Afghan girls playing in a soccer tournament.While the girls were talented and clearly enjoyed the games,

  • Colonel promotes wife, then retires

    When military members hold their promotion ceremonies, many times their families enjoy the occasion alongside them. Spouses, children, parents, siblings and other relatives witness the time-honored ceremony and take part in the tradition of pinning or tacking on the next rank.

  • Colonel promotion rate to drop

    Air Force officials decreased the promotion opportunity to the rank of colonel to 48 percent for November’s Colonel Line of the Air Force, or LAF, Central Selection Board.

  • Colonel receives Bronze Star during Alabama-Auburn game

    An instructor from Maxwell Air Force Base's Air War College was honored at his Alma Mater during the University of Alabama rival football game Nov. 18, against Auburn University Saturday.Col. Duane Lamb was presented the Bronze Star medal by his former commander, Brig. Gen. Frank Gorenc, who served

  • Colonel receives presidential honors in Zambia

    The president of Zambia awarded an Airman a Medal of Gallantry during an Africa Freedom Day ceremony here May 25. Col. Keith Andrews, the Chief of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance for the 607th Air and Space Operations Center at Osan Air Base, South Korea, saved two young Zambian women

  • Colonel reflects on 40 years of service

    When Dave Thurston joined the Air Force as an airman basic in 1964, there had been no moon landing, the SR-71 Blackbird was about to fly for the first time, the Vietnam War was just beginning, and postage stamps cost a nickel. Now a colonel, he is deployed as the director of public affairs for

  • Colonel reflects on attempted rescue mission

    It was Thanksgiving weekend in 1979 when then-Capt. Michael Sumida received an unusual call on a day off summoning him to the squadron from the comfort of his home.Captain Sumida was a C-130 Hercules navigator with the 1st Special Operations Squadron at Kadena Air Base, Japan. He said he had not

  • Colonel runs 1,000 miles on deployment

    After completing his goal of running 500 miles during a 90-day tour here, Lt. Col. Rod Matte upped his goal to 1,000 miles when his tour was extended to 150 days.Running about the equivalent of a marathon -- 25 miles -- every two days for the last three weeks, Matte has pushed himself hard to

  • Colonel SERB delayed, additional colonels to be considered

    Air Force personnel officials announced June 29 that the selective early retirement board for colonels will be delayed by six weeks. There will be no changes to the lieutenant colonel SERB previously announced.During a recent review in preparation for the July 2010 colonel SERB, Air Force officials

  • Colonel’s bone marrow helps save baby girl’s life

    More than a decade ago, then-Capt. Marilyn Kott spent a few extra minutes at the end of a mobility processing line to learn about a program that matches Air Force volunteers with persons who need bone marrow transplants. Three assignments went by and her life went on as usual. Then one day this

  • Colonel’s training saved his life

    A colonel at this forward-deployed location credits his survival from a terrorist attack to his military training, and he is now passing that training on to others.More than a year after Lt. Col. Ed O’Neal redeployed from Saudi Arabia, where he was shot five times in a vicious terrorist attack, he

  • Colorado AF reservists fighting California fires from the sky

    Two Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System-equipped aircraft arrived at McClellan Air Tanker Base in Sacramento, California, from the Air Force Reserve Command's 302nd Airlift Wing at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado, Aug. 3, to assist in fighting the Rocky Fire northwest of Sacramento, California,

  • Colorado Air Guardsman's path to NFL

    Many young kids have hopes and dreams of doing something amazing when they grow up. Many want to be an astronaut, or a police officer. Others may want to serve in the armed forces or become a professional athlete.But for some, more than one dream can come true.

  • Colorado ANG, Jordan: 10 years of brotherhood

    When Airmen from the Colorado Air National Guard's 140th Wing arrived May 11 as judges for exercise Eager Tiger, it marked the reunion of a partnership 10 years in the making.

  • Colorado College students study Schriever’s falcons

    Although wildlife on and around the “little base on the prairie” seems scarce, if people were to roam the base’s acreage, they would see a landscape teeming with animal life. While a visit to Schriever Feb. 8 did not result in a wildlife encounter for a Colorado College group, it did offer an