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U.S. Air Force News

  • POW/MIA: 1,482 Airmen still missing

    Nearly 1,500 Airmen are still missing and unaccounted for from various conflicts and there are more than 83,000 Americans still unaccounted for across the Defense Department.Every year the nation pauses on the third Friday of September to remember the sacrifices and service of prisoners of war,

  • AFRL commander describes Air Force’s technology vision

    The Air Force Research Laboratory commander discussed the future of hypersonic technology, directed energy and autonomous systems at the 2014 Air Force Association’s Air & Space and Technology Exposition here Sept. 16.

  • Counter-IED Branch receives top AFA award

    A team of Counter-Improvised Explosive Device Branch members from Hanscom will take center stage and receive one of the Air Force Association's top honors during the 2014 Air and Space Conference Award Ceremony in National Harbor, Md., Sept 15, 2014.

  • Air Force uses lasers to preserve space history

    Cape Canaveral's Launch Complex 14 is best known as the launch site for NASA's "Friendship 7," the flight that brought John Glenn fame as the first American to orbit the Earth in 1962. Now, more than 50 years later, the complex and other National Historic Landmarks are rapidly falling into decay.

  • A resilient rebel on eight wheels

    At nearly twice their ages and half their sizes, Lt. Col. Melanie Friedman stands out among those wearing the same uniform. The deputy director of intelligence at the Curtis E. Lemay Center for Doctrine Development and Education, known to her teammates and competitors as "BustHer Bunny," joins the

  • Edwards, NASA say goodbye to historic landmark

    A structure synonymous with NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center for the past 38 years, the grey-colored space shuttle Mate-Demate Device (MDD) at Edwards Air Force Base is being dismantled and demolished as a part of the final chapter in the U.S. space shuttle program.

  • Spiritual resilience fuels the heart, soul

    Similar to a sine wave, everyone has ups and downs, but it's their spirituality that gets them to the next day. No matter the faith background, where a person is from or who their family is, everyone has some sort of spirituality to lean on during both the hard times and the fun ones.

  • C-130 celebrates 60 years, still going strong

    In 1954, the song "Rock Around the Clock" was playing on the radio, Oprah Winfrey was born and the first issue of Sports Illustrated appeared on newsstands. The same year, on August 23, the YC-130 Hercules made its maiden flight...

  • Largest ISR weapons, tactics conference charts joint vector

    For the eighth consecutive year tacticians and subject matter experts from across the intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance community, met at the Air Force ISR Agency headquarters here to help shape the future direction of the Air Force -- this time in concert with its sister services.

  • Nominations open for 66th Annual Arthur S. Flemming Award

    Air Force officials are accepting nominations for the 64th Annual Arthur S. Flemming Award. The award is sponsored by George Washington University in conjunction with the Arthur S. Flemming Awards Commission. It honors outstanding federal employees who have made significant and extraordinary

  • 2015 AFA Aerospace Award nominees sought

    Nominations for the 2015 Air Force Association Aerospace Awards for outstanding contributions to national defense in a variety of fields are being sought, Air Force officials said.

  • Tobacco use harms military readiness, official says

    Because tobacco use is harmful to military readiness, the Defense Department has an added responsibility to curb its use, the assistant secretary of defense for health affairs said today, noting that service members are more likely to use tobacco products than civilians.

  • Air Force's new maritime radar becomes operational

    The Air Force Technical Applications Center has a welcome addition to its treaty monitoring capabilities - the Cobra King radar system aboard the USNS Howard O. Lorenzen. Cobra King is a new, state-of-the-art mobile radar system consisting of S- and X-band phased radars that AFTAC employs to provide

  • Environmental teams answer ‘Call to Future’

    As the Air Force takes a 30-year look ahead in the recently released strategy document, “America’s Air Force: A Call to the Future,” environmental teams are already helping ensure installations are prepared for operations in 2045 and beyond using the Environmental Management System.

  • Airman finds true passion in mechanic career

    Let's face it; every guy has an inner child screaming to get out. And what little boy doesn't like ripping apart his toys and making a mess of things? But the older most men get the more expensive and fancier the toys. Senior Airman Christopher Moore, a vehicle mechanic with the 386th Expeditionary

  • Joint trauma system vital link to saving lives

    A loud explosion hits close, shaking the dust from the walls. Sirens start going off and servicemembers run to check on everyone near the impact site. The 9-line report comes across the net. Helicopter rotors start spinning. The wounded receive their first care from a medic who also completes a

  • AF launches successful satellite mission

    The 45th Space Wing supported a successful United Launch Alliance Delta IV vehicle carrying Air Force Space Command mission assets for the Air Force July 28.

  • Vice chief of staff talks STEM to local educators

    Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Larry O. Spencer spoke to local educators about the particular importance of science, technology, engineering and mathematics to the Air Force during an ASM Materials Teachers Camp July 18, at Shaw-Howard University, Washington, D.C.

  • SECAF discusses current, future challenges with 501st CSW

    Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James visited Royal Air Force Alconbury and RAF Molesworth, England, to learn more about the mission of the 501st Combat Support Wing and to discuss with Airmen the current state of the Air Force.

  • AF satellites to contribute to space neighborhood watch

    The Air Force plans to launch two operational satellites and one experimental satellite into near-geosynchronous Earth orbit July 23. According to Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James, "these operational and experimental systems will enhance the nation’s ability to monitor and assess events

  • Barnes Center rebuilds senior NCO education curriculum

    Developers and faculty at the Thomas N. Barnes Center for Enlisted Education kicked the level of learning up a notch with version 6 of the distance learning Senior NCO Course 14. The new version replaced version 5 in late 2013.

  • From trash to treasure: Converting Academy waste into renewable energy

    During August 2013, the Defense Department Environmental Security Technology Certification Program funded CDM Smith, a national engineering and construction firm, to test how the U.S. Air Force Academy can reduce energy use and cost at its wastewater treatment plant, and convert food waste from its

  • Medical training in hyperreality

    The Air Force Medical Modeling and Simulation Training, or AFMMAST, is improving medical training is by adding hyperreality and high fidelity through the use of the Tactical Combat Casualty Care Cut Suit.

  • AF selects 460 for promotion to captain

    The 2014A Line of the Air Force, Chaplain Corps, Judge Advocate General Corps, Nurse Corps, Medical Services Corps and Biomedical Sciences Corps quarterly captain selection process selected 460 first lieutenants for promotion to captain July 18.

  • Air Force will provide assured access to space

    Gen. William L. Shelton, Air Force Space Command commander, stressed the importance of maintaining assured access to space to the Senate Subcommittee on Strategic Forces and Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation during a hearing on the options for assuring domestic access to space, July

  • ANG Airman selected to serve on VA advisory group

    Chief Master Sgt. Christopher C. Guy, the personnel career field functional manager, will serve on a three member team that will provide recommended solutions on enhanced data sharing and the efficient transfer of the separating or retiring members' service treatment records from the Defense

  • GORUCK Light Challenge tests, inspires Airmen

    Painful muscles, cramps, dripping sweat, extremely hot temperatures and two heavy downpours courtesy of the base fire department weren't enough to dispel the motivation of more than more than 25 members of the base community here participating in the GORUCK Light, Team Cohesion Challenge July 12 at

  • Air Force to highlight S&T priorities at industry event

    Creating tomorrow's Air Force is a delicate balance. It requires a mix of science and technology, or S&T, investment to meet current warfighter needs, as well as cutting edge research to develop revolutionary capabilities which today's Airmen can only imagine, and may not see fielded this decade.

  • Transcending Tragedy

    At a stage in life that many would consider to be over the hill, Ronald Ball hardly fit the profile of an Air Force recruit. Starting over, a middle-aged man, no one would have blamed him for giving up.

  • AF selects 8 officers for 2015 DARPA program

    Eight Air Force officers have been selected for the fiscal year 2015 Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, Service Chief Program, Air Force Personnel Center officials said July 9.

  • Airmen, aircraft continue Greenland mission

    Approximately 70 Air National Guard Airmen and two ski-equipped LC-130 Hercules completed the fourth rotation in the Arctic region to support the National Science Foundation, June 27-30 here.

  • CSAF to sponsor three captains for PhD program

    The chief of staff of the Air Force will sponsor three eligible captains to pursue a doctorate degree through the fiscal year 2015 CSAF Captains Prestigious PhD Program, Air Force Personnel Center officials announced.

  • June 19 – Pulse on AF force management

    Air Force leaders recently decided to bolster manning for nuclear-related career fields, an intention to make adjustments to account for budgetary uncertainties tied to proposed force structure changes. Those actions, coupled with previously approved voluntary applications and recent increases in

  • CCAF graduates 350,000th student

    Base leaders, families and service members gathered here June 13 to welcome the spring 2014 graduates of the Community College of the Air Force.Officials awarded selected students with the Pitsenbarger Award Scholarship, the John and Kathy Hood Military Scholarship and made a special presentation to

  • Cadets create MRAP lift, win competition

    During the 2013 summer, the Air Force Research Laboratory had a problem that no contractor seemed able to solve. The lab took the task to the three service academies and challenged them to find a solution.

  • DOD, AF leaders look to F-35 maintainers for help

    The Pentagon will continue to seek aircraft maintainer suggestions and industry partner investments to reduce operating and sustainment costs by 10 to 20 percent as F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter improvements develop, the undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics

  • Cheating in ALS: Zero tolerance for compromise of core values

    The best way to succeed in Airman Leadership School, and not resort to cheating, is to be open and honest with leadership before enrolling, understand the gravity of the demanding coursework, and be prepared for it, said Senior Master Sgt. Leyla Gillett, Langley Air Force Base ALS commandant.

  • AF Museum breaks ground on $35.4M expansion

    The National Museum of the U.S. Air Force broke ground today on a new $35.4 million building that will house aircraft from the museum's Presidential, Research and Development (R&D) and Global Reach collection, as well as a new and expanded Space Gallery.

  • Biden to Class of 2014: 'You carry America on your back'

    The Air Force Academy's Class of 2014 will face new missions as the United States draws down in Afghanistan, but the challenges they encounter will be no less formidable and complex, Vice President Joseph R. Biden said during the Academy's commencement May 28.

  • May 23 – Pulse on AF force management

    This week’s force management update focuses on the chief master sergeant retention board, voluntary separation pay, officer reduction in force boards, quality force review board, civilian force management and total force opportunities in a continued effort to bring Airmen the latest, most accurate

  • Diversity and force management go hand-in-hand

    Force management and diversity were the two main talking points for Lt. Gen. Sam Cox, the deputy chief of staff for manpower, personnel and services, during his presentation at the Air Force Association monthly breakfast May 15th.

  • DOD shows science, technology success despite hard year for workforce

    Despite a year of workforce furloughs and dwindling budgets, the Defense Department’s science and technology enterprise reports advances ranging from a full hypersonic weapon system and high-energy lasers to light-based brain treatments and new core capabilities in cyber warfare, senior DOD

  • Hometown friends serve together on deployment

    For Air Force Lt. Col. Elizabeth Clay, Air Force Col. Brad Hoagland made a difference in her life and career more than 28 years ago, when the two were in high school. Today, they find themselves serving together halfway around the world -- he as the vice commander of the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing

  • Academy beats Army, Navy as most innovative

    An Air Force Academy team bested the two other service academies in the first competition to design the most innovative project to address warfighter challenges. Sponsored by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the research-driven competition featured three teams from USAFA, the U.S.

  • Biomedical sciences corps Lt Cols will not meet ESERB

    Biomedical sciences corps, or BSC, lieutenant colonels originally slated to meet the June 16 enhanced selective early retirement board, or ESERB, will not meet the board, Air Force Personnel Center officials said April 30.

  • CSAF promotes balance of stewardship, capability

    The Air Force chief of staff explored the proper force ratio between the service’s active duty and reserve components in testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee, April 29.

  • Trial by fire, SecAF marks first 100 days in office

    In late March, the Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James dusted off her desert boots after her first troop visit to Europe and Afghanistan. While the trip allowed her to get a feel for the global reach of the force under her command, James also celebrated a tacit career milestone, when she

  • Air Force researchers test Google Glass for battlefield use

    Researchers with the 711th Human Performance Wing at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, are looking to make missions for Airmen a whole lot lighter and faster by testing Google Glass and its head-mounted optical see-through display technology, for potential battlefield use.

  • April 14 - Pulse on AF force management

    Pulse on Air Force force management, is an ongoing effort to bring Airmen the latest, most accurate information concerning the complex and dynamic force management programs.

  • DOD, AF science and technology leaders testify before Senate

    Kevin Gooder, the program integration division chief of the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for science, technology and engineering, testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee’s subcommittee on emerging threats and capabilities April 8.

  • F-35 on time to replace previous tactical aircraft

    The F-35 Lightning II will enhance combat capabilities, project U.S. power and deter potential adversaries, Air Force officials told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee’s subcommittee on tactical air and land forces in a hearing on tactical aircraft programs there, April 8.

  • Acting Deputy Defense Secretary talks budget, urges innovation

    Acting Deputy Secretary of Defense Christine H. Fox spoke at Air University's Air War College about budget constraints and sequestration in relation to the Air Force's role in the Department of Defense, the importance of technology and innovation April 3.

  • Defense Meteorological Satellite Program Flight 19 launch

    The Air Force successfully launched the 19th Defense Meteorological Satellite Program or, DMSP, spacecraft at 7:46 a.m. PDT, April 3, from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. The satellite was carried aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V launch vehicle.

  • 2014 Hennessy Award winners announced

    Air Force Personnel Center officials recently announced the best food service programs in the Air Force with the selection of the 2014 John L. Hennessy Award for food service excellence.

  • Disability claims backlog reduced by 44 percent

    One year after the backlog of pending disability compensation claims peaked at over 611,000 in March 2013, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has reduced that number by approximately 44 percent to 344,000 claims -- a reduction of more than 267,000. At the same time officials have improved the