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  • Airmen maintain national defense in weapons storage area

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

  • Airmen, Soldiers donate goods to Uzbek baby orphanage

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

  • Comm squadron makes mission possible

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

  • Contingency response team prepares airfield for Italians

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

  • Weather Airmen protect shuttle

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

  • Officials expand existing whistleblower protections

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

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

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

  • Academy sports recap: gymnastics coach honored

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

  • Aircraft lighter ban also applies to servicemembers

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

  • Air Force Academy selected as ‘Best Value College’

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

  • New course helps Airmen get combat ready

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

  • Commanders get sexual-assault prevention, response help

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

  • Frequent deployments require emphasis on vaccinations

    Frequent, short-notice deployments worldwide demand the military step up its emphasis on keeping the force vaccinated for contingencies it may face, said the Defense Department’s deputy director for the Military Vaccine Agency.The expeditionary nature of the force requires that DOD officials plan

  • Policy offers confidentiality to sexual-assault victims

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

  • Airmen cross 100-mission milestone

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

  • F-16 crew chiefs combat odds to keep jets in flight

    As the sun beats down upon him, an Airman wipes the sweat from his brow, spreading the layer of grease and oil from his hands onto his forehead. Consumed by the task at hand, he remains focused knowing his jet needs to be ready to take off within the hour.Suddenly, his work is put on hold.“This is

  • Family learns life lessons through autistic son

    Having a child is what some would refer to as a life-changing experience, but for a couple here it was more of a change than they expected.Seven years ago, Rich Quick, a logistics analyst for the 542nd Combat Sustainment Wing, and his wife, Nubia, learned that their 1-year-old son Matthew was

  • England briefs Senate on new civilian personnel system

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

  • Tyndall Airman becomes U.S. citizen

    A revolt, a family separated and a little girl who grew up to become a defender of freedom in a foreign land.It may sound like a big-budget Hollywood flick, but for one Airman, this is real life.Airman 1st Class Celene Delice, a relocations technician with the 325th Mission Support Squadron here,

  • Upgrades retrofit T-38 with latest technology

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

  • Contingency response wing activates at Travis

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

  • Guardsmen charged with smuggling Ecstasy on C-5

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

  • Brain Injury Center treats new affliction for war on terrorism

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

  • Bowsers make draining KC-135s more efficient

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

  • AFRC streamlines augmentee program

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

  • Sustainability of installations, environment key to readiness

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

  • Grone: BRAC 2005 important for many reasons

    Base Realignment and Closure 2005 is in full swing and this round is important for many reasons, said Philip Grone, deputy undersecretary of defense for installations and environment.To support ongoing force transformation, to improve the joint use of Department of Defense assets and to convert

  • Airmen keep B-2 Spirits safe

    The B-2 Spirit bomber’s capabilities to penetrate an enemy's most sophisticated defenses and threaten its most heavily defended targets depend on Airmen who help maintain the aircraft’s stealth characteristic. Mechanics deployed from the 509th Maintenance Squadron’s low observable section apply

  • Lieutenants help nab purse snatchers

    Two lieutenants stationed in northwest Florida came to the rescue after they witnessed a purse snatching in a local parking lot.Second Lts. Justin Herman, from here, and Nick Garvey, from nearby Tyndall Air Force Base, chased two suspects they saw snatch a purse April 8.After shopping at a local

  • Dominguez: Recapitalization No. 1 priority

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

  • Sports recap: Falcon baseballers feel Utah broom

    The Air Force Academy Falcon baseball team had a rough weekend at the hands of the University of Utah Utes. After dropping a close game April 8, losing 8-5, the Falcons lost a pair the following day by somewhat larger margins. In the first game of the April 9 doubleheader, the Utes pounded out 22

  • Airman’s life-altering decision takes turn for the better

    Before Airman 1st Class Shannon Cavasos enlisted in the Air Force, she was at a crossroads in her life.With high-school graduation on the horizon, the Midland, Texas, native lived alone her senior year after her mother moved away. Her mom sent her small checks to cover bills while she cleaned

  • Air Guard medics return from homeland security exercise

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

  • Balad’s pharmacy techs help save lives

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

  • Air Force standardizing warfighting command, control

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

  • NDI Airmen play big part in mission

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

  • Chatting on Air Force Portal requires decorum

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

  • Ship takes heroic legacy to the fight

    A fallen Air Force hero from Pope Air Force Base, N.C., was honored April 8 at the Military Ocean Terminal here. A Navy cargo ship was named for Air Force Cross recipient Tech. Sgt. John Chapman.The combat controller’s legacy will live on as the Motor Vessel Tech. Sgt. John A. Chapman carries

  • Airman gets perfect scores on CDC exams

    Scoring a perfect score on a career development course end-of-course exam is a remarkable accomplishment for anyone. Doing it twice is even more amazing.Airman Melynda Meshlovitz, of the 82nd Civil Engineer Squadron, did just that when she became the first in her career field, an environmental

  • Medical readiness instructors receive new C-130 trainer

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

  • ‘Operation Purple’ summer camp registration begins April 15

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

  • New campaign medals recognize Iraq, Afghanistan service

    Two new campaign medals announced April 7 recognize servicemembers for their contributions in Iraq and Afghanistan.Defense Department officials announced the Afghanistan Campaign Medal and Iraq Campaign Medal for servicemembers who directly supported Operation Enduring Freedom between Oct. 24, 2001,

  • Air Force aggressively meeting challenges

    The two senior leaders of the Air Force spoke April 6 on Capitol Hill about budget cuts, the service's commitment to meeting end-strength requirements, total-force integration and fleet recapitalization. During testimony before the Senate Appropriations Committee subcommittee on defense, Michael L.

  • Airmen adopt-a-village … or two

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

  • Official details DOD efforts to transform, retain quality force

    Defense Department officials are working to reduce stress on the force and negate the need for more people in uniform, a top official said here April 6.“Transformation of how the U.S. military is structured … is the biggest way in which the department is working to reduce demand on U.S. forces,”

  • Two generations of air traffic controllers keep Nellis sky safe

    A sixth-grade student chose to write a school report about her dad, who is an air traffic controller in the Air Force. The student said she admired her father and his career, and watched him dress in uniform every day preparing to protect the sky for the military.That was 14 years ago. The

  • Service demographics offer snapshot of force

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

  • U.S. must work to maintain lead in space

    Space industry leaders applauded a speech on maintaining the United States’ lead in space presented by the commander of Air Force Space Command during the National Space Symposium here April 5. Gen. Lance W. Lord addressed more than 900 people consisting primarily of corporate officers from the

  • Little Rock receives second C-130J

    The Air Force's second active-duty J-model C-130 Hercules joined the other in the 314th Airlift Wing fleet here April 5.Flown by Lt. Gen. John Baker, Air Mobility Command vice commander, the aircraft is assigned to the 48th Airlift Squadron, which has been training aircrews to fly it since February

  • International affairs cadre to build global relations

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

  • QDR to address transformation of U.S. nuclear arsenal

    Today’s U.S. nuclear arsenal is too outdated and costly to maintain for use in deterring threats in the post-Cold War era, a senior officer told a Senate subcommittee April 4.“It is our intent to have the upcoming Quadrennial Defense Review address nuclear issues and the associated infrastructure to

  • Airman teaches Soldiers to call for CAS

    "Continue dry," crackled through the radio as Army Spc. Jarrod Stranahan guided British pilots onto a target.Specialist Stranahan, a forward observer for the 5th Infantry Regiment, is one of 20 Soldiers who participated in emergency close-air-support training at here recently.Infantry units are

  • OPM helping to extend hiring preference to more veterans

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

  • PACAF welcomes new command chief

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

  • Hurlburt Airmen bring space power to Joint Red Flag

    U.S. space forces are using their knowledge of joint and interagency operations to adapt to an ever-changing battlefield during Joint Red Flag 2005, an exercise aimed at improving joint training and experimentation capabilities among U.S. and coalition forces.Air Force space capabilities have long

  • Say ‘hello’ to the bad guy

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

  • Balad medics perform critical mission

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

  • Fighters flying new missions, Airmen serving jointly

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

  • Report recommends family-friendly initiatives

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

  • Air Force announces media contest winners

    A panel of civilian journalists, teachers and public relations professionals selected the best in Air Force print and broadcast journalism for the 48th annual Air Force Media Contest. The winners were announced March 31. Geoff Janes, from the 78th Air Base Wing at Robins Air Force Base, Ga., is the

  • Airman designs new EOD vehicle

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

  • DOD temporarily oversees selected Air Force programs

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

  • Dominguez acting secretary of the Air Force

    With the resignation of Peter B. Teets, former acting secretary of the Air Force, Michael L. Dominguez is the new acting secretary.Mr. Dominguez also serves as the assistant secretary of the Air Force for manpower and reserve affairs. He entered government service in 1983 as a program analyst on

  • Academy sports wrap: Falcon javelin thrower honored by conference officials

    Backed by a record-setting performance at the Arizona State University Invitational in Tempe, Ariz., javelin thrower Dana Pounds was named the Mountain West Conference Women’s Track and Field Co-Athlete of the Week, league officials announced March 29.With a toss of 182 feet 1 inch at the meet,

  • Final Joint STARS aircraft delivered

    Officials from the Electronic Systems Center at Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass., delivered the 17th and final E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System aircraft to the 116th Air Control Wing at Robins AFB, Ga., on March 23.The wing is the only unit to fly the aircraft. The Joint STARS

  • Pilots give feedback on F-16 upgrade

    F-16 Fighting Falcon pilots from Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., were here recently to give feedback to members of the F-16 Systems Group on upgrades made to the aircraft.Lt. Col. John Montgomery, 55th Fighter Squadron commander, and Capt. Jim Govin, a 55th FS pilot, flew two of the newly modified F-16s

  • No change expected at coalition base in Kyrgyzstan

    The political situation in Kyrgyzstan is expected to have no impact on coalition efforts there supporting operations in Afghanistan, an official at U.S. Central Command said here March 30.Lt. Gen. Lance L. Smith said Kyrgyzstan’s new government leaders have “gone out of their way” to ensure the U.S.

  • Long-range plans key to winning anti-terror effort

    Defense, offense and long-range actions characterize U.S. operations in the war on terror, Gen. Richard B. Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said here March 29. And while the first two are important, it is long-range actions that will ultimately help the U.S. win the war, he

  • 'Faces of Fallen' exhibit open at Arlington

    The faces remind us of what we have lost.“Faces of the Fallen,” an exhibition at the Women in Military Service to America Memorial here, features more than 1,300 portraits of servicemembers who have died in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.Hundreds of family members came to see portraits of their

  • Through the eyes of a child

    The military working dog demonstration ended, and the audience dispersed, heading back toward an overflow parking lot where a fire truck and security forces patrol car waited.Lt. Col. Derrick Richardson of the 327th Contractor Logistics Sustainment Group here walked toward the pavilion when a small

  • New course prepares NCOs for joint ops in Southwest Asia

    A new training course for senior enlisted leaders is giving them skills that are proving invaluable for those deployed here, officials said.The Command Senior Enlisted Leader Capstone Joint Operations Module course is giving warfighters the tools they need to operate in an environment in which they

  • Military dogs dig into security

    Not all Air Force equipment has engines, wings or even operating instructions. One unit here is responsible for equipment that has a mouth packed with sharp teeth and a hide of fur.“Osan has the largest operational dog kennel in the Air Force,” said Tech. Sgt. Jerry Woodard, 51st Security Forces

  • Official: Airmen less blue-, more fight-oriented

    Airmen are contributing to the success of coalition operations in Iraq and Afghanistan by being less blue- and more fight-oriented, said U.S. Central Command’s deputy director of operations.During a recent visit to the Pentagon, Brig. Gen. Douglas L. Raaberg described Air Force contributions to the

  • Nine recently selected for promotion to E-8 must now re-compete

    Personnel officials are correcting circumstances that recently led to nine master sergeants being selected for promotion to senior master sergeant in the incorrect Control Air Force Specialty Code during the 05E8 cycle.The problem began when 46 Airmen who were attending the First Sergeant Academy

  • New program aims to improve moving process

    Full replacement value for lost or damaged items is among several changes taking effect in October as part of a new program called “Families First” which aims to improve the moving process for military families. “We’re going to have a lot of happier campers because they are not going to be losing

  • Officials announce new heath-care benefit for Guard and Reserve

    A new health-care plan, with coverage comparable to that enjoyed by federal employees under the Blue Cross and Blue Shield health insurance plan, will be available to eligible members of the National Guard and Reserve and their families April 25, Defense Department officials announced here March 24

  • Combat Talon undergoes risk reduction testing

    An MC-130E Combat Talon I completed the first risk reduction flight here March 15 after undergoing several months of improved avionics modifications. Airmen from the 418th Flight Test Squadron conducted the flight.The aircraft arrived here in October from the Air Force Reserve Command's 919th

  • Teets: Air Force's biggest challenge is recapitalizing the fleet

    During a roundtable discussion at the Pentagon March 22, the acting secretary of the Air Force discussed space, the F/A-22 Raptor and business ethics.Peter B. Teets retired from public service March 25. He held additional titles, including Department of Defense executive agent for space and

  • Female officer balances work, family

    Balancing a career and a family is difficult for everyone. When that career in question is commanding the 103 personnel in the medical operations squadron here, the challenge can be immense.Lt. Col. Joycelyn Elaiho, a pediatric nurse practitioner who is the 66th Medical Operations Squadron

  • Exercises prepare Airmen for deployment

    The Air and Space Expeditionary Force Center here nominates sourcing for about 38 exercises each year so Airmen can exercise their deployment capabilities before actually deploying, officials said.Exercises provide a realistic contingency environment to familiarize combat operation forces and

  • Air Force receives last F-16

    The general who was the F-16 System Program Office director here when the contract for the aircraft was awarded delivered the Air Force's last F-16 Fighting Falcon on March 18.While the Lockheed Martin Aero plant in Fort Worth, Texas, will continue to produce F-16s for international coalition

  • Personnel chief outlines NSPS, other initiatives

    Defense Department civilians soon will be paid for productivity rather than longevity, while in the future, servicemembers may be required to serve longer tours of duty and spend more time in the military before becoming eligible for retirement.These initiatives are part of efforts by officials to

  • General explains new DOD sex-assault policy

    The new guidelines for reporting incidents of sexual assault within the military create, for the first time, a Defense Department-wide standard that will provide victims with the support they need after incidents occur and help commanders get to root causes of the problems, the head of the Pentagon

  • Raptor important tool in maintaining air dominance

    Critics of the F/A-22 Raptor claim the aircraft is a "Cold War weapons system," but the Air Force chief of staff said it is a critical tool in maintaining air dominance."The Cold War ended, but the airplanes that were built to fight in the Cold War are still in production and have been delivered

  • Officials announce new chief of AF Scientific Advisory Board

    Acting secretary of the Air Force Peter B. Teets selected Heidi Shyu as chair of the Air Force Scientific Advisory Board on March 22. The board is an independent group that provides technical advice to Air Force leaders. Ms. Shyu, an electrical engineer with Raytheon Company, will start her duties

  • Joint Red Flag bringing big picture together

    One of the nation’s largest integrated exercise involving live and virtual simulations is well under way at locations throughout the United States.Joint Red Flag is a training exercise for U.S. military and coalition forces to enhance operational effectiveness, exercise officials said. More than

  • 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

  • Hill employees get down to details

    Just like investigators tracing threads back to the source of a crime, science and engineering laboratory employees use science to solve mysteries here. However, instead of dark overcoats, they wear lab coats. The laboratory is divided into four main sections: chemical science, material science,

  • 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

  • Special ops request funding to modernize, transform

    A continued need for modernization and transformation of special operations forces brought that community’s leaders to Capitol Hill on March 17 to testify on their portion of the president’s military spending request.The fiscal 2006 defense budget request that President Bush submitted to Congress

  • Creek Defender convoy prepares security forces Airmen

    Airmen of the 786th Security Forces Squadron here proved their grit alongside more than 80 U.S. Air Forces in Europe security forces Airmen at a convoy and static position live-fire event March 14 at a training range in nearby Baumholder.The Creek Defender exercise primed the participants for

  • Elmendorf Airman finishes Iditarod

    The only active-duty servicemember to compete in the 1,161-mile Iditarod Trail Dog Sled Race this year crossed the finish line in Nome, Alaska at 12:13 p.m. local time March 20.Maj. (Dr.) Thomas Knolmayer, Elmendorf’s chief of surgery, finished the race in 58th place out of 63 finishers. He was on

  • Academy sports wrap: Boxers take title

    Backed by five gold medalists, the Air Force Academy boxing team claimed its 26th consecutive regional title March 19 at the National Collegiate Boxing Association's West Regional Championships in Reno, Nev. With 64 team points, the Falcons easily won the team title to continue their winning

  • New DOD sexual-assault policy affords victims privacy

    New guidelines for confidential, restricted reporting of sexual assaults in the Defense Department were announced March 18 in a Pentagon briefing.“The policy allows victims -- and here’s the big change -- to report a sexual assault to specified individuals without necessarily initiating an

  • Air Force seeks Airmen for detainee operations

    The Air Force needs about 100 enlisted Airmen to serve in Iraq as interrogators, analysts, and command and control specialists later this year.Eligible volunteers from across the total force, who want to serve at the forefront of the war on terror, must be sharp and meet certain qualifications,

  • Changing DOD's global posture an 'enormous undertaking'

    Pentagon officials’ move to change their global footprint will be an “enormous undertaking” that will be “unprecedented,” the Defense Department’s director of strategy on global posture said here March 17.Barry Pavel said this could well be the first time that any country has purposely designed a

  • OIF two years later: Progress continues on all fronts

    On March 18, 2003, the clock was ticking on President Bush’s ultimatum for Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein and his sons to leave Iraq within 48 hours.The next day, two days after the president’s televised ultimatum, coalition forces launched operations to disarm Iraq.“On my orders, coalition forces

  • Predator fleet to expand

    Air Force officials plan to expand the current Predator Unmanned Aerial Vehicle fleet to as many as 15 squadrons.This increase, announced March 18, is in response to the escalating demand for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capability in the war on terrorism. The plans are intended to

  • SRB list drops to 32 specialties

    Air Force officials made significant changes to the selective re-enlistment bonus program as a result of continuing force-shaping efforts. Based on the findings of a review in October, officials have published the latest list, which contains 32 Air Force specialties, down from 62.The new list is

  • Teets submits resignation

    Peter B. Teets, acting secretary of the Air Force, announced his resignation March 18, to take effect March 25. “I'm honored to have served the president, the secretary of defense and with the dedicated Airmen of America’s Air Force and the men and women of the National Reconnaissance Office over