NATO Air Policing operations

U.S. Air Force News

  • Interagency exercise paves way for progressive training

    The training simulated a hostile’s attempt to capture a nuclear asset. Security forces Airmen, who arrived by both Humvee and helicopter, began to combat the threat and worked their way toward retaking control of the launch facility. After neutralizing the threat, recapturing and securing the launch

  • Wills takes command of 19th Air Force overseeing flying training

    With his family, friends and Airmen from across the 19th Air Force in attendance, Wills received the guidon for the NAF that oversees flying training across Air Education and Training Command from Lt. Gen. Steve Kwast, commander of AETC, who officiated the ceremony.

  • Radar survey team uses innovation for faster surveys

    As the nation’s only long-range radar evaluation unit, the 84th RADES mission is to monitor, evaluate and optimize long-range radars located across the United States, ensuring perimeter security of the borders and within the country.

  • Pacific senior enlisted leaders meet for historic Red Flag-Alaska

    Approximately 2,000 personnel are flying, maintaining and supporting more than 85 aircraft from more than a dozen units during this iteration of Red Flag-Alaska. The majority of participating aircraft are based at, and flying from, JB Elmendorf-Richardson and Eielson Air Force Base.

  • Hill AFB F-35As arrive at Spangdahlem AB

    Funded through the European Deterrence Initiative, the TSP provides a more robust U.S. military rotational presence in the European theater capable of deterring adversaries and assuring partners and allies of the U.S. commitment to regional security.

  • AMLO brings expertise to fight in Syria

    An AMLO from the 621st MSOS, aligned with the 82nd Airborne Division, recently found himself in Syria working to provide expertise in multiple areas and maintain a runway under harsh conditions.

  • Keesler Fire Department trains to maintain readiness

    The fire department worked in conjunction with the Gulfport Combat Readiness Training Center Fire Department, Stennis Airport Fire Department and the U.S. Naval Air Station Pensacola Gulf Coast Fire Rescue to further increase personnel readiness, lethality and joint operation efficiency.

  • Heritage Flight honors D-Day

    The four-ship formation included Maj. Paul Lopez, F-22 Raptor Demonstration Team pilot, Maj. Garret Schmitz, F-16 Viper Demonstration Team pilot, Capt. Andrew Olson, F-35 Lightning II Demonstration Team pilot and Andrew McKenna, Air Force Heritage Flight Foundation P-51 Mustang pilot.

  • Civil engineer Airmen participate in IRT project

    The mission for the two-week period was to provide a concrete slab for a new science, technology, engineering and math lodge facility, clear and grade the surrounding area and begin building walls, if time allowed.

  • IHA tool goes live in the cloud

    The Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center first launched the IHA in 2017 as a first-of-its-kind, metrics-based framework to integrate information from authoritative databases across the I&MS enterprise.

  • Air Force Marathon prices to increase June 17

    Prices for the full, half and 10K marathons are currently $100, $90 and $45 respectively. All three races will increase by $10 on June 17 while the 5K and Tailwind Trot 1K Kids’ Run, hosted by Wright State University, will increase by $5 and $3 respectively. The Fly! Fight! Win! Challenge will

  • Thunderbirds announce 2020 officer selections

    The commander of Air Combat Command, Gen. Mike Holmes, has officially selected the officers who will be joining the United States Air Force Thunderbirds for the 2020 demonstration season.

  • Flight equipment redesigned to better fit female aviators

    Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, held a Female Fitment Event, June 4, where Air Force and Navy female aviators gathered to have their measurements taken, which will be used to design new prototypes for female flight equipment.

  • Agile BOLT maintainers support F-35 deployment

    These Blended Operational Lightning Technician or BOLT maintainers are currently deployed alongside the 421st Fighter Squadron during a Theater Security Package to Europe and they’ve sent the first 388th Fighter Wing maintainer to ever be qualified in six different aspects of F-35 maintenance.

  • Future deployers: Don’t forget to feed the runway

    Three Blue Horizons fellows, with different technical backgrounds, including a former member of the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, were among those who graduated June 3 as part of this year’s class of 16.

  • Reserve Airmen hunt hurricanes

    This specialized unit of Reserve Airmen is made up of a five-person crew consisting of a pilot, co-pilot, navigator, aerial reconnaissance weather officer and loadmaster who is also the dropsonde operator.

  • Exercise Northern Edge 2019 comes to a close

    The fully integrated, large-scale exercise provided realistic and comprehensive joint training opportunities in and around Alaskan land and airspace, as well as in and above the Gulf of Alaska. NE19 participants trained on defensive counter-air, close-air support and air interdiction of maritime

  • USAFRICOM hosts APORA 2019

    The AFRICOM-facilitated program promotes an exchange of best practices between 27 African nations and representatives from U.S. government agencies to increase communication, discuss ongoing challenges, identify gaps and needs and promote regional stability and security.

  • Yokota AB Airman Earns Bronze Star Downrange

    From Sept. 27, 2017 to Sept. 26, 2018, Charles was assigned to the 438th Air Expeditionary Wing. During this time, he operated outside of the coalition-controlled airfield, where he endured 19 indirect fire rocket attacks and was exposed to a persistent threat of insider attacks.

  • AFMC team receives prestigious award for life-saving aircraft technology

    The Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System, or Auto-GCAS, team won the 2018 Robert J. Collier Trophy, an award bestowed annually by the National Aeronautic Association that recognizes “the greatest achievement in aeronautics or astronautics in America, with respect to improving the performance,

  • Hill AFB F-35s, Airmen deploy to Europe as part of Theater Security Package

    Funded through the European Deterrence Initiative, the TSP provides a more robust U.S. military rotational presence in the European theater capable of deterring adversaries and assuring partners and allies of U.S. commitment to regional security. The F-35s and members of the 421st and 466th Fighter

  • Okies support exercise Northern Edge

    The 507th ARW and 465th Air Refueling Squadron provided KC-135R Stratotanker aerial refueling support to joint Department of Defense aircraft during the large force exercise.

  • Bullard pins on first star, takes command of OSI

    Brig. Gen. Terry L. Bullard became the 19th commander of AFOSI during a change of command ceremony at the Fort Belvoir, Virginia, Officer’s Club, May 16. He accepted the reins of responsibility and leadership for the Air Force’s federal law enforcement, criminal investigations and

  • Ophthalmology teams give Guyanese the gift of sight

    The ophthalmology center at the Port Mourant Hospital was established to provide aid to the Guyanese population by screening and selecting patients to receive cataract and pterygium surgery in support of NH19.

  • Airmen come together for Combat Archer exercise

    The Combat Archer exercise, also known as the Weapons Systems Evaluation Program, is the Department of Defense’s largest air-to-air live-fire evaluation exercise. Squadron leaders monitor the lifespan of a missile to assess execution performance by maintenance crew members, aircraft armament systems

  • Seymour Johnson AFB spouse wins Air Force level award

    Due to her efforts, Tinsley was presented the Armed Forces Insurance Air Force Spouse of the Year Award. This award recognizes her important contributions and commitment to the Air Force community and our country.

  • Air Force transitions enlisted specialty, grows special tactics capabilities

    By combining the core skills of special operations forces with their meteorology skills, SOWTs have been a critical asset to the war on terror. Alongside special tactics teammates from forward deployed locations, SOWTs would gather, assess and interpret environmental to forecast weather impacts to

  • Year of Defender revitalizes security forces squadrons

    Security forces is the largest enlisted career field in the Air Force with approximately 38,000 defenders spanning 120 bases. In order to better care for these Airmen and ensure they have everything they need to complete their mission, 2019 was declared – Year of the Defender – by top Air Force

  • Air Force completes test of combat support innovation

    The Combat Support Wing proof-of-concept capstone exercise developed by the Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center and hosted by Air Combat Command’s 4th Fighter Wing at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina, tested the ability of three teams of about 30 Airmen each to establish

  • Army GLOs enable joint combat power, battlefield safety

    The Department of Defense receives a significant amount of its intelligence from the Air Force distributed common ground system, which is an enterprise of globally networked analysts and cyber professionals linked together by a global communications architecture.

  • Secretary of the Air Force announces Grand Forks AFB re-designation

    The re-designation, initiated by Gen. Mike Holmes, Air Combat Command commander, aligns Grand Forks AFB’s host wing and the 69th Reconnaissance Group. The 69th RG, which flies the high-altitude, remotely-piloted RQ-4 Global Hawk aircraft, has been aligned under the 9th Reconnaissance Wing at Beale

  • Air Force to reactivate aggressor squadron for F-35 training

    The action came after Gen. Mike Holmes, Air Combat Command commander, recommended training for fifth generation fighter tactics development and close-air support would be improved by adding F-35s to complement the fourth generation aircraft currently being used.

  • AERONet prototype could provide combat insight to allies

    The Airborne Extensible Relay Over-Horizon Network, or AERONet, digitally links friendly forces, providing them with their own location, the location of other friendly forces and real-time enemy movement updates. It will be showcased to partner nations at the Bold Quest exercise in Finland this

  • CSAF helps honor rescue community

    The three-day event brought past and present ‘Jolly Greens’ together to celebrate their heritage, reminisce about past missions and to present the JGA’s final Rescue Mission of the Year award to crews from the 41st Rescue Squadron and 48th RQS.

  • Munitions complex coming to Eglin AFB

    The Air Force Research Laboratory facility, officially designated as the Advanced Munitions Technology Complex, will provide increased munitions research and test capabilities for the warfighter.

  • Operation Restore Paradise enhances readiness through adaptive basing

    Airmen deploy frequently, leaving their work centers behind. But what if Airmen stayed and their work centers deployed?The Air Force has two deployable Precision Measurement Equipment Laboratories called a Rapid Assistance Support for Calibration unit. Mountain Home Air Force Base is trusted with

  • Hill AFB F-35A units assist in F-16 fighter training

    For the last two weeks, F-16 basic course students and instructor pilots from the 311th Fighter Squadron at Holloman AFB, New Mexico, have been flying with and against the Air Force’s first operational F-35A units.

  • Hill AFB fighter wings conduct combat exercise

    The friendly and enemy forces were made up of F-35 Lightning IIs from Hill AFB, F-16 Fighting Falcons from the 311th Fighter Squadron at Holloman AFB, New Mexico, and 80th FS at Kunsan Air Base, South Korea, and a team of contracted aggressor pilots from Draken International, at Nellis AFB, Nevada.

  • 818th MSAS, Burkinabé Partnership: Restoring Rotary Wing Capability

    The 818th Mobility Support Advisory Squadron sent a rotary wing maintenance and operations mobile training team to Burkina Faso, Africa, April 5-20 to train and aid the partner nation in identifying the cause of significant mechanical issues impacting the Burkina Faso air force’s UH-1H helicopter

  • Exercise Rapid Weasel enhances 52nd Fighter Wing innovation, readiness

    “Rapid Weasel was a demonstration of the 52nd FW’s ability to rapidly project combat power by opening an airfield, refueling and re-arming fighter aircraft, then quickly departing to other locations,” said Lt. Col. Leonardo Tongko, 435th Contingency Response Squadron commander.

  • PJs sharpen skills during exercise Razor’s Edge

    Razor’s Edge is a two-week long exercise where pararescuemen train to be better prepared for unilateral and joint combat search and rescue operations in any situation and environment. To meet these expectations they endure rigorous training reflective of real-world scenarios that they may encounter

  • AF Week in Photos

    This week's photos feature Airmen from around the globe involved in activities supporting expeditionary operations and defending America. This weekly feature showcases the men and women of the Air Force.

  • 1st WXG’s virtual training brings real benefits

    Airmen assigned to the 1st Weather Group are rolling out virtual reality training tailored to the needs of the Air Force Weather community, allowing them to train faster and smarter.Delivered in March, 1st WXG’s NextGen Environmental Weather Training System simulates setting up and assembling a

  • AFMETCAL updates NextGen

    The updates included fixes to software bugs and automated support capability for pieces of old and new Test, Measurement and Diagnostic Equipment.

  • New training prepares Airmen to save lives

    Airmen are “arming up” their life-saving skills with Tactical Combat Casualty Care, also known as TCCC.TCCC is a standardized course created to equip every Airman, Soldier, Sailor and Marine with the basic skills to save lives in combat operations.

  • Military working dog hunts down aircrew

    Staff Sgt. Antonio Padilla, 336th Security Forces Squadron military working dog trainer, and Alf, 366th SFS military working dog, acting as opposition forces, hunt down pilots to enhance the combat readiness of both parties during a search and rescue operation as part of a Gunfighter Flag exercise

  • Johnson retires after 32 years

    Air Force Maj. Gen. Mark Johnson has twice been a senior leader at Defense Logistics Agency, first as director of DLA Aviation from March 2013 to March 2015. Then after a two-year tour as commander of the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, he returned to the

  • 2019 BTF comes to an end

    The BTF deployment enabled theater integration and training with joint partners, allied nations and other U.S. Air Force units, to further enhance bomber interoperability in the theater.

  • Hill AFB Airmen deploy F-35A to support coalition forces

    Airmen from the 388th and 419th Fighter Wings at Hill Air Force Base deployed to Al Dhafra Air Base, United Arab Emirates, to support the Air Force Central Command mission in the Middle East. The aircraft arrived in country on April 15.

  • I-WEPTAC delivers third straight year of innovation

    More than 1,000 Air Force senior leaders, mission support leaders from across the force and members of the JBSA community heard how the four MAWGs would tackle challenges based on this year’s topic of “The Installation as a Weapons System.”

  • Using dynamite and TNT to enhance nuclear mission

    With the assistance and expertise of explosive ordnance disposal Airmen from the 45th Civil Engineer Squadron, AFTAC’s Systems Development Directorate personnel tested a new system to determine if their creative ingenuity could be operationally deployed in the field.

  • ACE helps programs avoid risk and grows managers

    When the Combat Search And Rescue mission-planning application needed modernization, its program managers turned to the Acquisition Center of Excellence at Hanscom Air Force Base to chart a process for fast fielding using CSAR Airmen’s frequent input.

  • CSAF stresses importance of mission support role at I-WEPTAC

    The Air Force’s top general stressed the installation and mission support community’s role in the National Defense Strategy when he kicked off the 3rd Annual Installation and Mission Support Weapons and Tactics Conference, or I-WEPTAC, at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, April 8.

  • Air Force PEAT lead visits Joint Base Langley-Eustis

    The Air Force Physiological Episodes Action team lead visited the NASA Langley Research Center March 28, to discuss the importance of an ongoing pilot breathing assessment with senior Air Combat Command health officials and NASA engineers.

  • ACC announces 24th and 25th NAF merger

    Air Combat Command is merging 24th and 24th numbered Air Forces at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, this summer to better integrate cyber effects, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations, electronic warfare operations and information operations.

  • Military to bring eye care to front lines with mobile app

    Eye injuries in a deployed setting can be a significant setback for any Airman, but new telemedicine capabilities are helping to keep them in the fight. With funding from the 59th Medical Wing, Joint Base San Antonio, Texas, Air Force and Army medical researchers are developing a HIPAA-compliant

  • Wilson, Goldfein outline Air Force progress, need for larger force

    Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David L. Goldfein told the House Armed Services Committee Tuesday that the Air Force must get bigger and funding must be predictable to meet – and defeat – security threats at home, globally and in space in an era of great

  • AF Week in Photos

    This week's photos feature Airmen from around the globe involved in activities supporting expeditionary operations and defending America. This weekly feature showcases the men and women of the Air Force.