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  • Conference to spotlight military family issues

    Nearly 2,000 helping professionals from around the world are gathering in Chicago April 27 to share the latest family-related information and research and to hear from some of the nation's most renowned military family experts.The 2011 Family Resilience Conference will offer participants access to

  • Confined space trainer redefines training plan

    Aircraft fuels systems Airmen assigned to the 100th Maintenance Squadron have to become familiar with claustrophobic work spaces, such as the fuel tanks within the wings of an aircraft, in order to do their jobs. A team of Airmen within the 100th MXG, each contributing from their different sections

  • Confinement: Behind the bars

    Working as a confinement supervisor has challenges most Airmen never experience. For the ones who do accomplish this mission, they are in the business of rehabilitating people and helping set them on the right track to succeed in life.

  • Confirmation hearings airing live on Pentagon Channel

    The Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearings for the secretary of the Air Force, the chief of staff of the Air Force and the commander of U.S. Transportation Command are being streamed live on The Pentagon Channel. Meeting the committee are Michael B. Donley, Gen. Norton A. Schwartz and

  • Congress approves retiree money

    Some military retirees will soon be receiving monthly payments for service-related health problems thanks to a provision of the 2003 National Defense Authorization Act.Combat-related special compensation allows some disabled military retirees to collect payments for both their military service and

  • Congress authorizes paternity leave

    Eligible Airmen are now authorized 10 days of nonchargeable paternity leave following the birth of their newborns, courtesy of the 2009 Duncan Hunter National Defense Authorization Act passed by Congress. The law applies to married, active-duty Airmen. The Airman's wife must have given birth to the

  • Congress begins reviewing spending proposals

    Congress has considered several legislative proposals since Sept. 11, 2001, designed to help reservists and their families cope with activations, high operational and personnel tempo, family separations and shifts in annual income.One of the most recent is Senate Bill 2068, the Guard and Reserve

  • Congress congratulates U.S. Air Force Academy

    An academy graduate, who is now a U.S. congresswoman from New Mexico, took time March 30 on the House floor to honor the school’s 50th anniversary.Rep. Heather Wilson, a 1982 distinguished graduate, submitted a resolution congratulating the academy on its 50th anniversary and recognizing the

  • Congress extends Stop Loss application deadline

    The deadline for eligible service members, veterans and their beneficiaries to apply for retroactive Stop Loss special pay has been extended to March 4, 2011, Defense Department officials announced Dec. 23.The deadline extension is included in the continuing resolution bill that President Barack

  • Congress finishes work on authorization bill

    Congress has reached agreement on a $680.2 billion National Defense Authorization Bill for fiscal 2010. The bill authorizes a 3.4 percent military pay increase and full funding for the Defense Health Program, and it caps F-22 Raptor production at 187 aircraft. For civilian workers, it ends the

  • Congress funds more than $2 billion in construction projects

    Congress approved more than $2 billion to fund Air Force construction projects over the next year.The fiscal 2003 National Defense Authorization Act includes $1.3 billion in funding for Air Force military construction, including dormitories, fitness centers, force protection projects and operational

  • Congress hears testimony on manpower, recruiting

    By the end of the year, the Air Force will have reduced its number of personnel to the congressionally mandated limit, said the service's deputy chief of staff for personnel during testimony on Capitol Hill on March 16.While speaking before the House Armed Services Committee subcommittee on

  • Congress honors Academy's 1st graduating class

    Members of the U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution Nov. 4 honoring the Air Force Academy's first graduating class. U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn of Colorado introduced the resolution to congratulate the class of 1959 on their 50th graduation anniversary and recognize their contributions to

  • Congress honors Tuskegee Airmen

    Before a U.S. aircraft broke the sound barrier, the Tuskegee Airmen overcame a daunting social hurdle: breaking the Air Force's color barrier. In the Capitol Rotunda March 29, President Bush and Congress awarded the Congressional Gold Medal to the Tuskegee Airmen, more than 60 years after the 332nd

  • Congress interested in reserve issues

    Congress has increased its focus on helping the reserve components since more than 200,000 members of the National Guard and Reserve have been mobilized for the war on terrorism.With newly introduced bills to enhance reservists' benefits, along with the existing House Guard and Reserve Caucus plus

  • Congress ponders exchange merger

    Department of Defense leaders met with the House Armed Services Committee subcommittee on total force April 2 to discuss the future of the department's three exchange services.Of specific interest was a potential merger of the Army and Air Force Exchange Service, the Navy Exchange and the Marine

  • Congress recognizes four Air Force people

    Four members of the Air Force family received Congressional Award Gold Medals along with 171 other young men and women during a ceremony on June 23 at the Russell Senate Office Building.The program recognizes outstanding achievement in people ages 14 to 23 and involves setting goals in four areas:

  • Congress reviews Air Force's readiness at House hearing

    The top leaders from the Air Force's active and Reserve components were on Capitol Hill on April 24 to provide statements and answer questions regarding their fiscal year 2014 budgets and force readiness.Representative Rob Wittman, (R-Va.), the chairman of the U.S. House Armed Services Committee,

  • Congress reviews future Reserve equipment upgrades

    As Congress works on the fiscal year 2012 budget and to reduce federal debt, Army and Air Force Reserve and National Guard leaders were on Capitol Hill here to testify and answer questions about their funding proposals Oct. 12.Chairman Roscoe Bartlett and Ranking Member Silvestre Reyes lead the

  • Congress reviews reserve forces equipment needs

    Lt. Gen. James F. Jackson, chief of Air Force Reserve, joined other Reserve and National Guard senior leaders on Capitol Hill March 19 to testify and answer questions.The Air Force and Army reserve component flag officers went before the House Armed Services Committee's Tactical Air and Land Forces

  • Congress reviews reserve forces equipment needs

    Senior Army and Air Force leaders for the Reserve and National Guard were on Capitol Hill to testify March 19 and answer questions about updating and replacing their combat-worn equipment.Chairman Michael Turner, R-Ohio, and Rep. John Garamendi, D-Calif., led the hearing at the House Armed Services

  • Congress, nation designate military appreciation month

    Both chambers of the U.S. Congress have adopted a resolution calling for Americans to recognize and honor U.S. servicemembers during May's National Military Appreciation Month.Virginia Rep. Tom Davis, along with 16 co-sponsors, introduced Concurrent Resolution No. 328 in the House in November. The

  • Congressional commission studies women in combat

    Defense Department officials will review the recommendations of a congressional commission studying the role of women in combat when the group's report is complete, a DOD official said Jan. 14.Congress established the Military Leadership Diversity Commission as part of the 2009 National Defense

  • Congressional delegates visit U.S. CENTAF Airmen

    Five congressional delegates visited Airmen at the Combined Air and Space Operations Center and the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing here Oct. 6. Congressmen F. Allen Boyd, Jr. (D-FL); Wayne Gilchrest (D-MD); Roger Wicker (R-MS); Steven Cohen (D-TN); and Congresswoman Betty Sutton (D-OH) met with Lt.

  • Congressional delegation observes enemy fire from C-130

    Four congressional delegates observed live, enemy fire from a C-130 Hercules Aug. 30 that had just departed Baghdad International Airport enroute to Jordan. "They witnessed firsthand our Air Force's Airmen in combat," said Lt. Gen. Gary L. North, the U.S. Central Command Air Forces commander. On

  • Congressional delegation visits hydrogen fueling station

    Fifteen congressional delegates visited the hydrogen fueling station at Hickam AFB Dec. 29. Opened in November 2006, the facility is a renewable energy station that is helping the Air Force overcome its dependency on petroleum products by providing an alternate fuel source. The unique Air Force

  • Congressional staff members visit AFPC

    Professional staff members from the House Armed Services Committee's subcommittee on military personnel visited the Air Force Personnel Center here April 15 to learn more about the many initiatives the center has undertaken to deliver personnel services to Airmen and civilians. Some of the

  • Congressional team evaluates Airmen's living quarters

    A two-person House Appropriations Committee Studies and Investigations team spoke to Airmen and inspected dormitories on Ramstein Air Base and Kapaun Air Station in Germany in October. The inspection, conducted by Keith Baker and Adam Johnson are House Appropriations Committee staff

  • Congressmen review Reserve role, budget, mobilization

    As Congress debates ways to address the federal debt ceiling, reserve component military leaders were on Capitol Hill recently to testify and answer questions about retaining operational roles, changes to mobilization and future budget challenges.Led by chairman Joe Wilson, of S.C., and ranking

  • Congressmen visit servicemembers in Manas

    A congressional delegation consisting of five U.S. senators visited with Airmen from the 376th Air Expeditionary Wing and toured the base, Aug. 5, as a part of an eight-day trip to promote security, democracy and development in central Asia. Led by U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada,

  • Congresswoman visits Altus

    Officials from the 97th Air Mobility Wing here welcomed the 5th district congresswoman of Oklahoma April 9 as she toured Altus Air Force Base for her assessment of the state's military readiness. Rep. Mary Fallin is currently the only Oklahoma member of the House Armed Services Committee in

  • Conjoined twins born at Wilford Hall

    Conjoined twins Brynleigh and Victoria Smith beat the odds when they were born July 25 at Wilford Hall Medical Center here. While roughly 60 percent of conjoined twins are stillborn, Brynleigh and Victoria survived birth. However, their premature lungs required immediate ventilation in the neonatal

  • Conley takes command of AFSOC

    Lt. Gen. Michael Conley assumed command of AFSOC from Lt. Gen. Tony Bauernfeind during a change of command ceremony at Hurlburt Field.

  • Conn. ANG engineer BEEFs up projects in Afghanistan

    Building a bunker wall at an Afghan base in northern Afghanistan may seem like a typical engineering task, but this was no ordinary project for Staff Sgt. Arthur Mitchell, a civil engineer with the 577th Expeditionary Prime BEEF (Base Emergency Engineer Force) Squadron. This project was an

  • Connected battlespace modernizes fight in Indo-Pacific

    Utah Air National Guard’s 151st Air Refueling Wing, working with the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve Test Center, sent their modified KC-135 Stratotanker to Kadena Air Base for use in the Western Pacific during Northern Edge 23-2.

  • Connectedness key to defeating the enemy

    For Tyndall Air Force Base, identifying the enemy has taken on a heightened sense of urgency since Hurricane Michael’s landfall on Oct. 10, 2018. The storm not only leveled the base, it also wreaked havoc on the lives of Airmen, civilian employees and family members displaced and impacted. Since

  • Connectedness: Key to organizational success

    Col. Carey Jones, 47th Operations Group commander at Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas, shares her thoughts on connection throughout a unit and key takeaways that lead to unit success.

  • Connecticut Guard has answer for Sandy

    Approximately 850 members from the Connecticut Army and Air National Guard here and around the state were called up for state active duty Oct. 31 in response to the destruction of Hurricane Sandy. Guardsmen were involved with initial emergency response preparations as early as Oct. 27 in preparation

  • Connecting America, Ghana through music

    Throughout the summer, the U.S. Air Force Band featured guest conductors at performances, enhancing international partnerships.The concert Aug. 24 at the Air Force Memorial here was another example of this as Col. Sampson Ebonyi, guest conductor from Ghana, took the crowd on a musical journey,

  • Connecting Cyberspace and Airspace

    The Mission Defense Team is made up of a team of cyber and communication professionals designated to defend a specific aircraft, preventing adversaries from invading the airspace and manipulating aircraft data.

  • Connecting the world one wire at a time

    They maintain miles of cable and wire so everyone can communicate here and to the world. The job has them working above and below ground, while fighting all the elements of being in a desert climate. This responsibility lies with the 407th Expeditionary Communications Squadron’s base information

  • Connection in the classroom

    The Patrick Air Force Base Professional Development Center (PDC) is not just a place for professional and leadership education, but as of Feb. 11, it's the most technically advanced professional development center in the Air Force.

  • CONOP test finding success for Air Force in Iraq

    According to air mobility experts on the ground in Iraq, initial results of the ongoing U.S. Army direct support mission Concept of Operations test there indicate what Air Force and Air Mobility Command officials have said all along: the Air Force supports this mission 100 percent.The CONOP test

  • CONR officials provide support during shuttle launch

    Officials from the Continental U.S. North American Aerospace Defense Command Region and Air Forces Northern provided airspace control and shuttle support during the launch of Space Shuttle Endeavour May 16 at Kennedy Space Center, Fla. CONR officials ensured airspace sovereignty by enforcing the

  • CONR supports final space shuttle launch

    Spectators looked on as Space Shuttle Atlantis roared to life for the final time, as the orbiter and crew launched into space from here July 8.Members of the Continental U.S. North American Aerospace Defense Command Region, or Continental NORAD Region, and Air Forces Northern provided airspace

  • CONR team supports successful shuttle launch

    Officials with the Continental U.S. North American Aerospace Defense Command Region, or CONR, and Air Forces Northern provided crucial airspace control and manning support to the successful launch of Space Shuttle Discovery Feb. 24.CONR representatives ensured airspace sovereignty by enforcing the

  • Conserving energy, reducing foot print one project at a time

    With today's fiscal limitations and focus on doing more with less, officials here are finding ways to save energy and money while getting the mission done.Executive orders state energy usage must be reduced by three percent and water usage by two percent annually until 2012, and members of Laughlin

  • Consolidated distribution saves dollars

    Millions of hardcopy forms and information products distributed by the Air Force will be delivered to customers at half the cost beginning fiscal 2012.Air Force officials are contracting with Army officials to move all of the service's warehoused printed material from the Air Force Publishing

  • Consolidation streamlines household moves, saves money

    Military members and civilian Defense Department employees aren't expected to notice it, but changes that start next year at U.S. Transportation Command will help to make their household goods shipments more efficient and cost-effective.Transcom officials announced plans to consolidate 151 personal

  • Constitution commemoration falls in line with Air Force birthday

    "I ... solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic," are words from the enlistment oath that every Airman has sworn to one or more times.As the Air Force marks its 63rd year Sept. 18, the Department of Defense

  • Constructing an air corps from the ground up

    Airmen from the U.S. Air Force and the Afghan National Army Air Corps are working side-by-side to provide an airpower capability to the nation of Afghanistan. The Afghan Army was created six years ago with the air corps element subsequently created four years later. The training mission to grow

  • Construction begins on first cyber warfare intelligence center

    Engineers with the Air Force Center for Engineering and the Environment have begun construction on the new 38,000 square-foot cyber warfare command center.  The facility will be home for the 68th Network Warfare Squadron and the 710th Information Operations Flight currently located at

  • Construction begins on new fuel pipeline at Southwest Asia base

    Construction on a new 2.7-mile pipeline to bolster ground refueling operations for the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing began March 17 at a non-disclosed base here.The $5.7 million project calls for the construction of an above-ground 8-inch carbon steel pipeline from the existing tanker truck offload

  • Construction is steady on Lackland's medical campus

    The first phase of construction for the new Wilford Hall Ambulatory Surgical Center here is steadily progressing. Excavation of the new 1,028-car parking garage is complete and the utility corridor excavation is moving along on schedule, according to Joann Pinto, director of 59th Medical Wing

  • Construction of second runway continues at Osan, South Korea

    A second runway for Osan Air Base is under construction as U.S. and Republic of Korea officials continue to work together to have it up and running by 2013.With oversight from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the ROK Ministry of National Defense's Defense Installations Agency has been working since

  • Consultant program begins at ACC family readiness centers

    Eleven Air Combat Command bases will start using a new Military and Family Life Consultant Program by April 28 to meet the emerging needs of active duty Airmen, guardsmen, reservists and their family members. The new program will provide workshops and nonmedical, short-term counseling services to

  • Consultant program supports troops, families

    With portable, flexible care, the Defense Department's Military Family Life Consultant program has become a critical component in service member and family support, the director of the Pentagon's office of family policy, children and youth said recently.Through the program, behavioral health

  • Consumer advocates seek military's input

    Leaders implementing the federal government's new consumer protection agency met with Joint Base San Antonio service members here Jan. 18 to discuss the unique financial issues facing military families.Elizabeth Warren, the assistant to the president and special adviser to the secretary of the

  • Consumer tips on avoiding scammers

    Service members and their families can be easy targets for scammers, and financial education is key to prevention, the deputy director of the Pentagon's office of family policy and children and youth.

  • Contact center adds new online service

    People can now get real-time help with personnel issues online, from anywhere in the world, thanks to new Web features offered by the Air Force Contact Center here.The online features let users view a database of frequently asked questions, chat live online with a customer service representative or

  • Contact center expands hours

    Airmen stationed overseas can now get real-time help with personnel issues without having to wake up at 3 a.m. thanks to the expanded hours of the contact center at the Air Force Personnel Center here.Beginning Dec. 2, the new hours, 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. CST, will give people overseas a chance to talk

  • Contact Center keeping customers No. 1

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

  • Contact Center moves to 24-hour ops

    Airmen everywhere can now talk with customer service agents about personnel issues 24 hours a day thanks to the recently expanded hours of the Air Force Contact Center here.People with questions about assignments, benefits, pay and more can speak to a customer service representative toll-free at

  • Contact information available concerning Hurricane Katrina

    For information relating to Hurricane Katrina, to include Stop Movement and entitlements, the following phone numbers and Web sites are available:The Air Force Personnel Center Personnel Readiness Center can be contacted toll free at (800) 435-9941. The PRC can provide information about bases

  • Contact lens wear discouraged on deployments

    Blowing sand, smoke and fine dust particles are an eyeball’s worst nightmare. Now imagine holding up your unit because you have “something in your eye.” This type of scenario is exactly what optometrists said they fear most when Airmen wear contact lenses instead of their glasses while working in a

  • Container management initiative saves money

    In an effort to not only improve the aesthetics of the installation but also save the Air Force hundreds of thousands of dollars, the 379th Expeditionary Maintenance Group and Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron's traffic management flight have joined forces to combat extraneous shipping

  • Contamination avoidance team ensures health, safety of Yokota aircrews

    Tech. Sgt. Michael Welles is checked for radiation exposure March 13, 2011, at Yokota Air Base, Japan, after a flight to northern Japan. A team of bioenvironmental engineers from the 374th Aerospace Medicine Squadron and emergency managers from the 374th Civil Engineer Squadron were checking

  • Contamination control area helps Airmen 'clean up'

    One of the ways Incirlik AB Airmen prepared for their upcoming Unit Compliance Inspection was setting up a simulated contamination control area March 1. The contamination control area allows Airmen exposed to hazards from biological to chemical agents to come "clean" in a controlled environment. The

  • Contests spotlight creativity

    Budding photographers and artists can enter the 2016 Photo and Art Contest, sponsored by the Air Force Services Activity.

  • Contingency Response Airmen battle elements at JRTC

    Airmen from the 621st Contingency Response wing participated in combat exercise "Decisive Action" Oct. 10 through 22 as part of a Joint Task Force here to prepare for future deployments. Approximately 100 Airmen from the 570th Contingency Response Group, based at Travis Air Force Base, Calif., and

  • Contingency response Airmen build partnership capability in Egypt

    Airmen from the 621st Contingency Response Wing bolstered Egypt's ability to mobilize its troops by training 20 Egyptian airborne soldiers on airlift and cargo loading procedures during Exercise Bright Star in Cairo, Egypt, Oct. 9 to 21. During the eight-day training course, the Airmen taught

  • Contingency response Airmen support exercise Northern Strike

    Airmen from the 821st Contingency Response Group here recently participated in exercise Northern Strike at Grayling Army Airfield and Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center in Michigan. Northern Strike is a large-scale exercise coordinated by the Michigan Army National Guard and features Army,

  • Contingency response element deploys to Basra

    Nearly 50 members of the 615th Contingency Response Wing headquartered at Travis Air Force Base, Calif., are deployed here in support of coalition and joint operations. The mission of the 615th CRW-Contingency Response Element is to support the transition from British to U.S. responsibility of

  • 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

  • Contingency response team stands down after last shuttle support alert

    An audience of millions watched the last launch of the space shuttle Atlantis from Kennedy Space Center, Fla., July 8. The nearly 650 mobility Airmen of the 621st Contingency Response Wing here, however, saw a different finale -- an end to years of waiting for a call they thankfully never received.

  • 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

  • Contingency response wing returns from Pakistan relief mission

    Airmen from the 621st Contingency Response Wing have completed operations in Pakistan in support of flood relief distribution efforts after torrential rains and flooding affected more than 20 million people and left one-fifth of the agricultural country under water.The last seven members of the 37

  • Contingency response wing takes baby steps around the world

    Helping the relief victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and Pakistan’s earthquake disaster were its baby steps. The infant is the 621st Contingency Response Wing, which celebrated its first birthday on Monday, March 6, 2006 at a ceremony in its contingency response warehouse. “Each person here is

  • Contingency response wing takes on Africa mission

    An Air Force wing that stood up here to open airfields anywhere in the world on short notice soon will take on a new mission, helping African militaries establish their own air mobility systems.The 621st Contingency Response Wing and the wing's sister unit at Travis Air Force Base, Calif., stand

  • Contingency skills course brings expeditionary basics to Airmen

    With Airmen doing more on the frontlines of the war on terrorism, the need exists for Air Force specialties across the board to receive training in a variety of expeditionary combat skills. In the Air Mobility Warfare Center’s 421st Combat Training Squadron here, they built an answer to that need --

  • Contingency Wartime Planning Course prepares Airmen for duty

    As the supreme allied commander of allied forces in Europe during the Normandy invasion in World War II, Dwight D. Eisenhower explained the importance of military planning when he said, "In preparing for battle, I have always found that plans are useless but planning is indispensable." A course

  • Continued testing of F-35 JSF sensors a success at Northern Edge 2011

    While participating in Northern Edge for the second time, F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter sensor capabilities were tested in Alaska's premier multi-operational environment June 13-24. Hosted by Alaskan Command, Northern Edge is a biennial U.S. Pacific Command exercise that prepares joint

  • Continued vigilance is everyone’s responsibility

    The terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, taught us that the enemies of the United States are capable of striking high-value targets on American soil, and they’re willing to stop at nothing to do so. While the United States has been safe from terror attacks since that ill-fated day, continued

  • Continuing family support through government shutdown

    The government shutdown is affecting quality of life, family support, and child and youth programs that service members and families value. The purpose of this blog post is to provide guidance as to what to expect regarding the operating status of these programs while the government is shut down.

  • Continuing health care priority for DOD

    During testimony in front of both the House and Senate Armed Services Committees recently, Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. John D.W. Corley said that sustaining health care for servicemembers, their families and retirees is a priority for the Department of Defense. General Corley, along with the