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U.S. Air Force News

  • Smallpox vaccine side effects ‘rare’

    Mass smallpox vaccinations can be conducted safely with "very low" rates of serious adverse effects, the Defense Department's senior medical official said June 25.The military will continue with its vaccination program because the smallpox bioterror threat remains, said Dr. William Winkenwerder,

  • 900 face involuntary retraining

    More than 900 airmen may be involuntarily moved to shortage career skills starting July 7, according to Air Force Personnel Center officials here.Although 450 airmen volunteered to change career fields during the initial phase of this year’s noncommissioned officer retraining program, it was not

  • Hyperbaric laboratory earns accreditation

    Global health and safety received a much-needed shot in the arm recently when a U.S. Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine organization here became the first nationally accredited Department of Defense hyperbaric facility, according to officials.The school’s hyperbaric medicine division, also known

  • Motorcycle deaths rise in ‘101 days’

    Motorcycle riders account for more than half of the Air Force’s safety-related deaths during this year’s 101 Critical Days of Summer safety campaign, according to Air Force Safety Center officials at Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M.Officials said there is an alarming trend in motorcycle accidents

  • Base accessed by hand scanner

    Air Force officials kicked off a 90-day test period June 23 for the first large-scale use of hand-scan technology that could allow thousands of people to enter the base with just a wave of their hand.People wanting to access the base from the new Shiloh-Scott MetroLink station now use a

  • AF tries reducing deployment discrepancies

    Today’s Air Force is expeditionary, and all airmen should be prepared to deploy to support military operations worldwide, according to Maj. Gen. Timothy A. Peppe.The majority of airmen arriving in an area of responsibility are ready to accomplish their mission, however, nearly 10 percent report for

  • Marine killed in training accident

    A Marine was killed and eight Marines and Navy servicemembers injured in what appears to be a training accident in Djibouti on June 22, Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa officials said.An Air Force B-52 Stratofortress apparently dropped "multiple" bombs in the wrong area of Godoria Range,

  • Unpowered gliders resume flight

    The 94th Flying Training Squadron here resumed unpowered glider flights June 23.The flights were suspended in mid-May to “address glider operations guidance shortcomings, and leadership and cultural issues in the squadron,” said Brig. Gen. John Weida, the academy’s acting superintendent.Officer

  • Bush says U.S. facing down remnants of Iraqi regime

    U.S. military personnel are facing down the remnants of the Hussein regime even as coalition personnel continue to search for Iraqi weapons of mass destruction, President Bush said in his weekly radio address June 21. Bush said American military personnel are making life more secure for Iraqis, and

  • Officials release F-15 accident report

    Officials investigating the March 17 midair collision of two F-15C Eagle aircraft on the Nevada Test and Training Range near Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., have determined the accident occurred when one of the pilots failed to coordinate his flight path with that of his lead pilot.The mishap pilot

  • Wartime heirloom returned to family

    Sixty years of history came full circle this week when an airman here returned a Japanese flag to the family of its original owner. The flag was carried into battle by a Japanese soldier during World War II.Col. Donald Weckhorst, commander of the 605th Air Operations Group at 5th Air Force

  • FAST encourages minority students to fly

    The Air Force’s Flight Awareness Summer Training orientation program encourages ROTC cadets in minority-based college and university programs to investigate careers in aviation.Twenty-two cadets enrolled in the three-week program at Delaware State University attended the FAST forum at Dover Air

  • Morale center keeps troops in touch

    Experts from the 5th Combat Communications Group here are providing more than just communications at Tallil Air Base, Iraq. They are boosting morale by providing phones and computers to American and coalition forces there.Word has gotten around about the 5th CCG's efforts to bridge the distance

  • IG announces annual award winners

    The Air Force Inspector General announced the winners of the 2002 Howard W. Leaf Inspector General Awards on June 12.The award recognizes the outstanding enlisted and officer inspectors in the Air Force assigned to a major command inspector-general team.This year’s winners include:-- Enlisted

  • ‘Young Eagles' take flight

    An "experience to remember" is how 12-year-old Danielle Orcutt described her recent flight here in a World War II-era aircraft piloted by retired Brig. Gen. Chuck Yeager.Danielle and 39 other "Young Eagles" were given the privilege of flying with aviation legends after winning an essay contest

  • Exercise gives warfighters’ perspective

    Thirty-eight Air Force Research Laboratory scientists and engineers traveled to Fort Drum, N.Y., May 31 to June 13 for Phoenix Warrior 2003.This annual exercise is tailored to show new technologies to the warfighting community and expose laboratory scientists and engineers to an operational

  • Air Force's first female boxer debuts

    An airman here is not worried about the odds of her winning her first national bout in Augusta, Ga., June 18 to 21 -- she has already beat the odds to become the first female on the Air Force boxing team.Staff Sgt. Charmaine Carrington, a 33rd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron weapons-load crew chief,

  • Second F-16 crashes in Arizona this week

    An F-16 Fighting Falcon based here crashed June 13 at about 9:30 a.m. on the Barry M. Goldwater Range about five miles south of Gila Bend.Capt. Scott Arbogast, an instructor pilot assigned to the 61st Fighter Squadron here, safely ejected from the aircraft.The mishap marks the second Luke F-16 crash

  • Exercise challenges air traffic controllers

    Rising more than 14 stories above the runway, air traffic controllers scan a five-mile area including 3,000 feet above the base here. They are playing a key role in the movement of air traffic during Cooperative Cope Thunder, an exercise bringing pilots and ground personnel from around the world to

  • 44 civilian leaders witness airpower

    Forty-four U.S. civic, business and industry leaders witnessed military life June 9 when the Defense Secretary’s 2003 Joint Civilian Orientation Course stopped here for a firsthand look at what the U.S. Air Forces in Europe has to offer. Hand-picked from more than 6,000 applicants all vying for a

  • Judge advocates play many roles in legal process

    Contrary to what is portrayed on television, military attorneys do more than prosecute cases.Many staff judge advocates and assistants spend less than 5 percent of their time in court, said Capt. Ron Spencer, 56th Fighter Wing assistant staff judge advocate here. Most of their casework is done

  • Dyess sets record mission-capable rates

    When the 7th Bomb Wing’s B-1 Lancer maintainers and operators here surpassed Air Combat Command's monthly mission-capable rate two months in a row last June and July, officials called it "a huge success." It was the first time the wing had accomplished the feat.But that accomplishment was just the

  • On-site trainers saving time, money

    Seven Air Education and Training Command instructors will bring a Robins initiative to life soon that not only saves the government thousands of dollars, it allows 3,000 additional depot technicians to be trained annually.The program, also being implemented at Air Force Materiel Command air

  • International students build more than language skills

    In today’s world of international relations, building coalitions is important. For a group of international military students here, the term “building” recently took on a much different meaning. Rather than building a geopolitical relationship with their fellow students from other countries, these

  • Air Force releases F-15 accident report

    An Air Force Accident Investigation Board determined the cause of fatal F-15 Eagle accident was a breakdown in terrain avoidance responsibilities between the pilots and air traffic controllers on the ground.This breakdown led to a descent below safety altitudes without the pilots having positive

  • Airmen capture Iraqi republican guardsman

    Three air traffic control radar controllers were surprised June 9 when they found a member of Saddam Hussein’s republican guard hiding in an abandoned building by their radar site at the international airport here.While patrolling their site, Airman 1st Class Richard Mansure, deployed from the 305th

  • F-16 crashes in Arizona

    An Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon jet assigned here crashed about 5:15 p.m. June 10 on the Barry M. Goldwater Range approximately 15 miles south of Gila Bend.Capt. David O’Malley, an instructor pilot with the 310th Fighter Squadron, safely ejected from the aircraft while on an air-to-ground training

  • Air Force surveying reservists

    This year, for the first time, the Air Force Climate Survey will include all Air Force reservists.Feedback from last year’s study, formerly the Air Force Chief of Staff Survey, prompted the Air Force to involve a larger audience in the new survey, which will gauge factors affecting the day-to-day

  • Vendor payments go electronic

    The Air Force will be one step closer to its goal of seamless electronic commerce with the implementation of Wide Area Workflow, finance officials said.The program, a Department of Defense-developed initiative, simplifies the way military services pay vendors and contractors by eliminating the

  • U.S. forces moving in South Korea

    U.S. and South Korean officials have agreed to a plan to realign American forces stationed in "The Land of the Morning Calm."In meetings held June 4 and 5 in Seoul, according to a joint U.S.-South Korean statement, the operation will consist of two phases:Phase 1 -- U.S. forces at installations

  • Leaders hold town-hall meeting

    Battle lessons learned, professional military education and air and space expeditionary force issues headlined discussions between Air Force leaders and 300 military and civilian people here during a first Air Force Town Hall meeting June 5.Secretary of the Air Force Dr. James G. Roche; Gen. John P.

  • Interaction helps 'calibrate' military culture

    Military interaction with the public it serves helps "calibrate" military culture, said the Air Force secretary in an interview here May 30.Dr. James G. Roche was here to serve as the capstone speaker during the 50th National Security Forum held May 26 to 30 at Air University. The annual symposium

  • Flights resume at Tuzla airport

    The first civilian flight into Tuzla International Airport here since late 2001 landed June 4. The French corporate flight was 15 minutes late, but it hardly seemed like a long delay, comparatively speaking. Air traffic in Tuzla has been restricted to military aircraft since the airport shut down

  • ANG is a family tradition

    For the McCann family of Minneapolis, serving in the Minnesota Air National Guard has become a family tradition, one that has been carried on for three generations.Jack McCann laid the groundwork by serving 30 years as a flight engineer, retiring as a chief master sergeant in 1983.Growing up with a

  • Student earns $128,000 for college

    An Osan American High School student here won a $128,000 scholarship for college and a guaranteed job with the Defense Intelligence Agency.Jason Pederson, an 18-year-old senior, applied for the scholarship at the prodding of his junior ROTC sergeant and will now receive an $18,000-a-year stipend.A

  • Osan officer helps maintain the alliance

    He speaks Chinese, Japanese and Korean with fluency and teaches northeast Asia international relations, U.S. military doctrine, English and North Korean politics to the future leaders of the South Korean air force.Maj. Brian S. Hobbs, is a U.S. Air Force exchange professor at the Korean air force

  • Nephew to honor WWII ace uncle

    By simply doing his job, an F-15 Eagle pilot here finally has the opportunity to honor his hero and uncle, World War II ace Maj. Richard "Dick" Bong. Maj. James Bong, of the 33rd Operations Group, will lead a four-ship flyover at the Richard I. Bong World War II Heritage Center museum in Superior,

  • U-2 pilot receiving Kolligian trophy

    Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John P. Jumper will present Maj. Jeffrey Olesen, a U-2 Dragon Lady pilot, with the 2002 Koren Kolligian Jr. Trophy during a June 13 ceremony at the Pentagon.Olesen, assistant director of operations for the 1st Reconnaissance Squadron here, will receive the award for

  • Cooperative Cope Thunder kicks off

    Pacific Air Force's premier simulated combat-airpower employment exercise kicked off June 5, bringing allied nations to two bases in Alaska for training.Cooperative Cope Thunder runs through June 20 with operations here and at Eielson Air Force Base.The exercise showcases multinational airlift

  • Crew chief circles Earth 104 times

    Tech. Sgt. Rodger Folkerts is the first person to reach the 5,000-hour mark in a C-17 Globemaster III.It has been an “amazing” journey, said the aircraft pneudraulics specialist and flying crew chief.Folkerts reached the 5,000-hour mark during a recent Operation Enduring Freedom mission, according

  • Rumsfeld clarifies civilian-workforce proposal

    Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld cleared up some misconceptions about the proposed Department of Defense civilian personnel system during testimony before the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee on June 4.Rumsfeld said that the current system is not flexible and agile enough to confront the

  • Drill team faces ‘tip of the spear’

    Standing shoulder to shoulder, the drill team members twirled, tossed and caught their 35-inch-long, 19-ounce sabers. Often coming perilously close to their teammates, the well-practiced team flawlessly executed the routines.The Sabre Drill Team, the only active-duty enlisted group of its kind in

  • Air Force countersnipers go offensive

    Two Air Force security forces airmen deployed to Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, got what they called, “the chance of a lifetime,” June 1 when they embarked on a combat patrol in eastern Afghanistan with the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division. Senior Airmen Luke Allen and Rusty Youngblood, both 820th

  • C-17 weapons instructor course set for July

    This summer, a very select group of C-17 instructor pilots will head back to school in an effort to earn their Globemaster III doctorate.Starting July 3, the four students will become the first class at the new five-and-a-half-month C-17 Weapons Instructor Course at McGuire Air Force Base, N.J.“The

  • Phoenix Readiness training ends

    Air Mobility Command’s Phoenix Readiness combat training has ended and will be replaced in October by the Air Force's expeditionary combat-support training program, Eagle Flag. The training cadre at the Air Mobility Warfare Center here are excited about Eagle Flag.“It's exciting for us to be

  • Air Force helps Iraqi dog immigrate

    A German shepherd of Iraqi descent arrived here May 30 aboard a C-17 Globemaster III after putting his life on the line to guard U.S. special forces.Fluffy, a dog from northern Iraq with visible scars, will retire at Fort Bragg, N.C., as an honorary military working dog.When Fluffy first joined Sgt.

  • Rumsfeld: Cut safety mishap rates in half

    Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld challenged the military services to cut the number of mishaps by 50 percent in the next two years.“World-class organizations do not tolerate preventable accidents,” Rumsfeld wrote in a May 19 memorandum to the heads of military departments and defense

  • Being a reservist requires ‘juggling act’

    Recognizing that Air Force reservists must balance military obligations with family and civilian-employment requirements, the service’s senior reservist pledged to reduce unnecessary pressures.“I want to say ‘thank you’ to families and employers -- they make great sacrifices in order for Reserve

  • Iraqi forecasters back in business

    For the first time since 1980, members of Iraq’s meteorological organization are back in a Baghdad tower sending weather observations after going through training with Air Force weather forecasters. Airmen taught the Iraqis how to operate and maintain the new meteorological measuring set that was

  • Work continues at Osan crash site

    Base workers labored throughout the night surveying debris from the F-16 Fighting Falcon that crashed near a gate at approximately 8 p.m. May 29. A pilot from the 36th Fighter Squadron was taking off on a training mission in the F-16 when the crash occurred. The aircraft was carrying inert bombs

  • Airman convicted in arson case

    Senior Airman Jeffrey Beagle has been sentenced to five years confinement, reduction to airman basic, total forfeiture of all pay and allowances, and a dishonorable discharge for destroying a $1.77 million vehicle maintenance building here March 16.Beagle was also convicted and sentenced for

  • Two convicted of financial crimes

    Two airmen have been convicted of various financial crimes during separate general courts-martial here.Master Sgt. Clarence Lott pleaded guilty to, and was convicted of, submitting a false official document, larceny of housing allowances in excess of $500 and obstruction of justice. The sergeant,

  • Japanese fighters join Alaskan exercise

    Fighters from the Japanese air self-defense force touched down on North American soil for the first time to take part in an exercise. Cooperative Cope Thunder, a Pacific Air Forces-sponsored air-combat training exercise, is set for June 5 to 20. “The Japanese involvement is very significant in the

  • Academy graduates 45th class

    As parade caps flew and the Thunderbirds soared overhead, the Air Force Academy Class of 2003 added 974 names to the 45th list of academy alumni at graduation ceremonies here May 28.Guest speakers were Secretary of the Air Force Dr. James G. Roche and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John P. Jumper.The

  • Guardsmen open Baghdad facility

    The 379th Expeditionary Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron has opened a 10-bed mobile medical staging facility near the military flightline at Baghdad International Airport. Facility workers there conduct joint service, coalition and civilian air evacuation missions.In the field, after self-aid and

  • Sentry crews finish mission, end era

    As the big white bird gracefully touched down on the windblown runway at a forward-deployed location May 28, the mission of the 363rd Air Expeditionary Wing in Southwest Asia completed a 13-year, continuous mission.The aircraft, an E-3 Sentry Airborne Warning and Control System deployed to the 363rd

  • F-16 crashes in South Korea

    An Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon crashed here May 29 while taking off on a training mission. The pilot ejected safely and was treated at the base hospital. One Korean was injured on the ground. She is an Army and Air Force Exchange employee here.Yi, Chun Mu, 58, was driving home when debris from

  • Rumsfeld says Iraqi problems real but workable

    Iraq, with the help of the Coalition Provisional Authority, will work past its current problems, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said to the Council on Foreign Relations in New York May 27.Rumsfeld said Iraq's problems are real, but shouldn't be blown out of proportion. Every country making a

  • June issue of Citizen Airman available

    Thousands of mobilized reservists, along with hundreds of volunteers, performed critical roles supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Since the beginning of the effort to liberate the Iraqi people, Air Force Reserve Command airmen have been involved in a variety of areas, including aeromedical

  • Life support ensures pilot comfort, survival

    When a pilot must eject from his aircraft and parachute to the ground, he builds a fire, drinks water and signals for rescue using the survival kit provided by the life-support unit at home base.The life-support unit here ensures all aircrews receive the best life-support equipment for flights and

  • SECAF, CSAF approve Air University test

    The secretary and chief of staff of the Air Force have approved the testing of an initiative designed to improve interaction between officers and enlisted members in the professional military education environment at Air University. The plan calls for students attending the Air and Space Basic

  • Now Showing: May 26 edition of Air Force Television News

    The end of an era in Turkey and Air Force ground support in the wake of the war against Iraq spotlight the latest edition of Air Force Television News. Senior Airman Israel Aviles reports on the end of Operation Northern Watch, a decade-old operation that enforced the northern no-fly zone over

  • Former CMSAFs offer advice

    Two key members of Air Force enlisted history and former chief master sergeants of the Air Force are visiting with U.S. Air Forces in Europe airmen. Retired Chief Master Sgts. of the Air Force Paul Airey, the first person to hold the title, and Sam Parish, the 8th CMSAF, are here as guest speakers

  • Hill prepares F-16s for Italian air force

    Italian defense officials accepted the first of 34 modified and refurbished F-16 Fighting Falcon A and B models from experts here May 16.Maj. Gen. Tommaso Ferro, air defense and defense cooperation attaché for the Italian air force, lead a delegation of military and diplomatic dignitaries in

  • AFRC sets missed-training policy

    Air Force reservists, who have been mobilized, demobilized or who served on voluntary military personnel appropriation tours supporting a contingency since Oct. 1, will not be required to perform an annual tour between now and Sept. 30.Lt. Gen. James E. Sherrard III, commander of Air Force Reserve

  • University assists Air Force programmers

    Airmen are improving their programming skills with help from experts called in from Auburn University at Montgomery by Standard Systems Group officials here.Standard Systems Group manages information technology contracts and standard information system programs commonly used at all active and

  • Team performs sacred act at mortuary

    Sixteen airmen with the 459th Services Flight here returned home after deploying to the Dover Air Force Base, Del., mortuary in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.For these airmen, returning home had a special meaning. While deployed, they made sure those who paid the ultimate price during the war

  • 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

  • Med tech follows dream of becoming doctor

    Reserve 2nd Lt. Cynthia Reed, formerly an active-duty senior airman, is pursuing her goal of becoming a primary-care doctor through the Air Force Health Professions Scholarship Program.Reed is attending the Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine, a satellite school of Midwestern University in

  • State National Guards to combine headquarters

    Each state National Guard will combine its top three headquarters into one "joint force headquarters," said Army Lt. Gen. H. Steven Blum, the head of the National Guard Bureau.There are 162 headquarters units in the 54 state and territory National Guard entities and by Oct. 1, 108 of these will no

  • Airman sentenced in first OIF court-martial

    An airman first class from the 405th Expeditionary Munitions Squadron at a forward-deployed location in Southwest Asia pleaded and was found guilty May 18 of larceny and violation of a general lawful order. This was the first Air Force court-martial held at an Operation Iraqi Freedom deployed

  • Enlisted aide upgraded to special duty

    They have been part of the Air Force enlisted force since its beginning, but they have never had a formalized position description or job qualification standard -- until now. The enlisted aide program, now an official Air Force special duty, was authorized the new Air Force Specialty Code of 8A200

  • U.S. 'committed to winning the peace' in Iraq, Feith says

    While there's much to do to assist the Iraqi people in the establishment of a free, democratic government of their choosing, the United States remains committed to achieving that goal, a senior DoD official told U.S. legislators today.In testimony on Capitol Hill today, Under Secretary of Defense

  • Love of flight unites Cochran, Yeager

    On the face of it, the long friendship between Jackie Cochran (Odlum) and Chuck Yeager seems a little improbable. Mixing two strong-willed overachievers, both of them whom were known public figures, is more like a formula for conflict.Yet the fighter pilot and the wealthy businesswoman had genuine

  • Officials release A-10 accident report

    Air Force investigators determined pilot error caused the Dec. 4 collision of two A-10 Thunderbolt IIs on the Nevada Test and Training Range approximately 98 miles northwest of Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.Capt. Eric Palaro, assigned to the 52nd Fighter Wing at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, died as a

  • Air Force negotiates extra Raptor

    Air Force officials have negotiated the procurement of one additional F/A-22 Raptor as part of a recent purchase, raising the total to 21 aircraft, according to service acquisition officials.The F/A-22 acquisition has a “buy-to-budget” philosophy, said Dr. Marvin R. Sambur, assistant secretary of

  • Zettler: People first in reconstituting force

    As the dust of Operation Iraqi Freedom settles, the Air Force installations and logistics community is turning its attention to the challenge that lies ahead: readying the service for the next big contingency.Replenishing the materiel and equipment reserved for wartime use, rebuilding the munitions

  • Veterans thank those who led them to freedom

    A Belgian woman risks her safety to help more than 130 airmen avoid capture by Germans. A bombardier survives a crash landing with his crew behind enemy lines and escapes with help from members of the French Underground. A tail gunner bails out of his badly damaged B-17 Flying Fortress and

  • Air Staff move recognizes CAP security role

    One of the newest names in homeland defense is actually more than 60 years old.The Air Force Auxiliary, also known as the Civil Air Patrol, has been in the defense business since Dec. 1, 1941, when it was chartered to support national defense by providing submarine reconnaissance.In recognition of

  • Unit puts the 'deploy' in 'deployment order'

    Television images of jets launching and bombs dropping during Operation Iraqi Freedom showed airmen doing what they are trained to do. What most viewers did not see were the people responsible for getting the jets there to put bombs on targets and patrol the sky.The Air Combat Command Air

  • Dog team assists with drug bust

    A 21st Space Wing military working dog team was key in a recent bust on the Mexican border that netted $375,000 worth of cocaine.Staff Sgt. Joseph Saputo and his dog, Nero, both from the 21st Security Forces Squadron, were on temporary duty supporting the U.S. Bureau of Customs and Border

  • Now showing: May 12 edition of AFTVNews

    A list of symptoms and simple precautions to protect airmen against Sudden Acute Respiratory Syndrome are spotlighted in the latest edition of Air Force Television News.Staff Sgt. Joe Wallace’s story on SARS emphasizes the Air Force has not been affected by the virus, thus far, but as a member of

  • 90-year-old veteran delivers

    A Depression-era work ethic, plus some faith and stubbornness, keeps fueling Martin "Mike" Mikulski who is in his 63rd year of service to his country. Mikulski, 90, has spent most weekdays for the last 24 years volunteering his time."What the hell am I gonna do at home? Watch TV?" Mike says in a

  • Scams target military families, e-mail users

    Although the federal tax filing season ended April 15, the Internal Revenue Service continues to see isolated instances of new tax scams.Two new schemes target families of those serving in the armed forces and e-mail users. In both schemes, people represent themselves as being from the IRS.The IRS

  • CENTCOM's Gen. Franks: 'Iraq's best days are yet to come'

    Fifty-two days after President Bush gave the go-ahead for military action in Iraq, the Army general who led the campaign stood in the Pentagon today and spoke of the mission's successes. "Today, the Iraqi people no longer live in fear of a regime of Saddam Hussein," Gen. Tommy Franks, commander of

  • Official: Ranges important to success

    Training ranges are vital to the Air Force’s success on the battlefield, Air Combat Command’s chief of ranges, airfields and airspace operations told a congressional committee May 6.Col. Frank DiGiovanni's testimony was part of a fact gathering effort by the House Resources Committee as it considers

  • Air Force journalists win DOD awards

    Air Force print and broadcast journalists won 12 categories in the 2002 Thomas Jefferson Awards for excellence in military media. The results were announced May 6 by Defense Information School officials at Fort Meade, Md.Air Force winners in the print-media category are:-- Print Journalist of the

  • Airmen blend science of healing with art of caring

    Air Force medical troops are playing an instrumental role in restoring the quality of life of individuals experiencing problems from physical trauma or general “wear and tear.”The seven-person physical therapy team from the 374th Medical Group here provides services that help restore function,

  • Iraq's future in hands of its own people, U.S. officials say

    Three senior U.S. government officials agreed that humanitarian efforts to renew and restore Iraq have gone well so far, and movement will continue to return Iraq to the Iraqi people.Undersecretary of Defense Dov Zakheim, DoD comptroller and chief financial officer, Undersecretary of State Alan

  • Ceremony ends Operation Northern Watch

    The Combined Task Force Operation Northern Watch guidon was encased May 1, in a ceremony signifying the successful end to its mission of enforcing U.N. Security Council Resolutions north of the 36th parallel. Gen. Charles F. Wald, U.S. European Command deputy commander, officiated the ceremony -- an

  • Air Force preparing for next contingency

    Even as deployed airmen return home from Operation Iraqi Freedom, Air Force officials are focusing on what they need to do to reload the service for the next contingency.According to Lt. Gen. Ronald E. Keys, deputy chief of staff for air and space operations, the three priorities in reconstituting

  • Air Force announces OTS selections

    The Air Force is giving 18 enlisted members the chance to trade in their stripes for gold bars after being chosen to attend Officer Training School.Air Force Recruiting Service officials conducted OTS Selection Board 0305, which considered 239 total applications, selecting 164 for a 67-percent

  • Success in Iraq result of lessons learned

    The reason the Air Force performed so well during Operation Iraqi Freedom can be traced back to lessons learned from earlier conflicts, according to the deputy chief of staff for air and space operations at the Pentagon.“We were better trained, better organized and better equipped than we have ever

  • 2002 mission support awards announced

    Officials recently announced the winners of the 2002 Air Force Mission Support Awards.The awards recognize airmen and their units for outstanding performance in the areas of personnel, military equal opportunity, professional military education and training.The winner of the Gen. Robert J. Dixon

  • CSAF: Instructor duty vital to future

    The Air Force’s top uniformed leader is stressing the importance and value of instructor duty to all officers.In a Chief’s Sight Picture released in April, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John P. Jumper encouraged officers to invest in the future force by considering instructor opportunities an

  • AFSOC taking combat search, rescue

    The Air Force will turn over functional management of the combat search and rescue mission to Air Force Special Operations Command on Oct. 1.The transition to AFSOC from Air Combat Command is meant to consolidate the management of CSAR and to take advantage of the synergies of combining like

  • Force development prepares airmen for success

    Force-development efforts are under way to ensure the Air Force’s enlisted corps remains the best in the world, said the service’s top enlisted leader.According to Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force Gerald R. Murray, force development is simply a methodical approach to giving airmen the tools,

  • War reunites deployed brothers

    None of them were supposed to be here. Two pairs of brothers thrown together as if a game of jacks were being played with aircraft and aircrew; each one being snatched up and dropped randomly at a Royal Air Force base in the eastern Mediterranean. But before anyone could swipe all the Air Force

  • U.S. aircraft leaving Saudi Arabian base

    Department of Defense officials said the combined air operations center here will be mothballed and all U.S. aircraft operating at the base will be gone by August.The decision was made by "mutual agreement," said Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld following a meeting with Saudi defense minister

  • Services strives for better frontline meals

    The immediate requirements of conducting war demand a no-frills approach to frontline living. However, that does not mean conditions have to stay that way.The chief of logistics for the Combined Forces Air Component Command said that once the basic resources needed to effectively fight a war have