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U.S. Air Force News

  • Retired Air Force rated officers welcomed back on active duty

    Retired Air Force rated officers with Air Force Specialty Codes 11X-pilot, 12X-combat systems officer or 13B-air battle manager are encouraged to apply for the Voluntary Retired Return to Active Duty Program to help alleviate manning shortages within the Air Force rated community.

  • Air Force courts tech startups

    An idea that sprang from the minds of four captains at Squadron Officer School led to 10 startup companies pitching their ideas to Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Stephen W. Wilson, April 20, 2018 in Boston.

  • Airman’s dream becomes reality through Career Intermission Program

    Former Tech. Sgt. Travis Barrino from Morven, North Carolina, always felt a calling to be a pastor. As an active-duty chaplain’s assistant, however, he didn’t have the necessary education and experience qualifications for his dream job--to be a chaplain in the U.S. Air Force.

  • 2018 AF Warrior Games team announced

    The U.S. Air Force Wounded Warrior Program is proud to announce the 2018 Air Force Warrior Games team. Forty primary and ten alternates were selected by a team of coaches and staff at the 5th Annual Air Force Trials at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, in late February 2018. The 40-person team will

  • Air Force selects 686 for promotion to captain

    The Air Force selected 686 first lieutenants for promotion to the rank of captain during the calendar year 2017D Captain Line of the Air Force, Chaplain, Line of the Air Force – Judge Advocate, Nurse Corps, Medical Service Corps and Biomedical Sciences Corps quarterly selection process.

  • Be the change: The power of representation

    Comic book illustrator Shawn Martinbrough met with Pentagon Airmen to speak about the power of representation Feb. 20, 2018. A native New Yorker, he has illustrated Black Panther, Batman, Luke Cage Noir, Captain America, and Hellboy characters for Marvel and Detective Comics.

  • Reserve Airmen support SpaceX Falcon Heavy milestone launch

    Reserve Airmen are used to supporting milestone rocket launches, and have supported manned spaceflight launches through the years; however, they have never supported a rocket toting a car.SpaceX’s CEO Elon Musk’s cherry red Roadster from Tesla, his electric car company, was the payload on the Falcon

  • AFSVA announces art contest winners

    When 2017 Air Force Art Contest results were announced recently, two artists from the same installation celebrated repeat victories. Josh Pugeau, 709th Maintenance Support Squadron civilian missile inspector at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, won the adult accomplished division with his charcoal “Bearded

  • Air Force selects 875 in CY17C captains quarterly selection process

    The Air Force selected 875 first lieutenants for promotion to captain during the 2017C Captain Line of the Air Force, chaplain, Line of the Air Force – judge advocate, nurse corps, medical service corps and biomedical sciences corps quarterly selection process.

  • Basic Training to Al Udeid: Two Air Force careers reunited after 21 years

    It all started in 1996. One kid from Prattville, Alabama, and another from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, took a bus to Lackland Air Force Base, Texas. They were both a little scared and excited to become the U.S. Air Force’s newest Airmen. Though they grew up about 400 miles apart and spent six weeks

  • AF selects 1,648 in CY17B captains quarterly selection process

    The Air Force selected 1,648 first lieutenants for promotion to captain during the Calendar Year 2017B Captain Line of the Air Force, Chaplain, Line of the Air Force – Judge Advocate, Nurse Corps, Medical Service Corps and Biomedical Sciences Corps quarterly selection process. To view the lists, go

  • Air Force recognizes veterans in blue

    Veterans in Blue 2017 is now available online. First launched in 2010, Veterans in Blue is a portrait collection showcasing men and women who have contributed to the security of our nation and the legacy of the Air Force.

  • Partnership enables JB Charleston sealift relief efforts to Puerto Rico

    The first humanitarian relief supplies sealifted from Joint Base Charleston to Ponce, Puerto Rico departed Oct. 31, 2017. In the hours following Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria, JB Charleston C-17 Globemaster IIIs responded delivering more than 1,700 tons of aid, supplies and medical teams to

  • Pediatric nurse speaks up, exemplifies Trusted Care

    Trusted Care is a core component of Air Force medicine. There are nine principles, one of which is speaking up.This is a critical principle, as exemplified by attending pediatric nurse practitioner, Capt. Kelsey Pilcher, in the case of two newborns recently brought into her care.

  • POW recalls mission that led to capture 50 years ago

    On Oct. 25, 1967, now retired Lt. Col. Richard Smith and his wingmen had orders to bomb the Paul Doumer Bridge in North Vietnam; the bridge was a mile long and one of the most heavily defended positions in Southeast Asia.

  • ACC commander engages Airmen, discusses priorities

    Gen. Mike Holmes, Air Combat Command commander, visited the men and women of Moody Air Force Base, Oct. 17-18, 2017.While gaining an in-depth exposure of the installation’s unique assets, Holmes used this visit as an opportunity to explain to Airmen their role in the fight and how it contributes to

  • Retired AF pilots welcomed back on active duty

    Retired Air Force pilots holding Air Force Specialty Code 11X are encouraged to apply for the Voluntary Retired Return to Active Duty Program in order to fill rated staff positions to help alleviate the existing manning shortages within the Air Force rated pilot community.

  • Air Force releases CY17C central selection board results

    The Air Force has selected 298 active-duty officers for promotion to colonel, lieutenant colonel and major during the calendar year 17C Colonel Line of the Air Force Judge Advocate, Lieutenant Colonel Nurse Corps and Major Chaplain, LAF-J and Nurse Corps central selection boards.

  • I AM: Unconquered, undefeated

    The air here is electric on the competition grounds of the 2017 Invictus Games, where 17 nations and more than 550 wounded, ill or injured athletes have come together to showcase their grit; and where one second-time athlete from the U.S. team has set her sights on dominating in the arena.

  • 2017 Invictus Games slated to commence Sept. 23

    Athletes from around the world will come together in Toronto, to compete in the 2017 Invictus Games, uniting more than 550 wounded, ill or injured military service members from 17 nations to compete in 12 unique sporting events.

  • 20th CSAF portrait unveiled

    A painting of retired Gen. Mark A. Welsh III, the 20th Air Force chief of staff, was unveiled during a ceremony at the Pentagon, Sept. 14, 2017.

  • Air Force announces 100 percent promotion opportunity to major

    In the latest move to restore the Air Force’s readiness and lethality, senior leaders are taking a closer look at officer performance management with a focus on developing leaders and retaining the talented professionals the service needs.

  • EPLOs provide critical coordination to FEMA disaster relief efforts

    As three CH-47 Chinooks flew into Joint Base San Antonio-Seguin Auxiliary Airfield from the west, , Col. Harry Hughes, an emergency preparedness liaison officer, quickly worked through how to alleviate a back-up of overflow truck traffic onto the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Incident

  • Two-week summit takes aim at aircrew retention

    The Aircrew Crisis Task Force hosted a two-week aircrew retention summit here as part of a holistic approach to improve readiness and capacity by increasing retention of experienced aviators Aug. 14-25, 2017.

  • Air Force selects 398 for captain in CY17A quarterly selection process

    The Air Force selected 398 first lieutenants for promotion to captain during the Calendar Year 2017A Captain Line of the Air Force, Chaplain, Line of the Air Force–Judge Advocate, Nurse Corps, Medical Service Corps and Biomedical Sciences Corps quarterly selection process.

  • Air Force selects 2,311 BSC, LAF officers for promotion

    The Air Force selected 2,311 active-duty officers for promotion to colonel, lieutenant colonel and major during the 2017B Colonel and Lieutenant Colonel Biomedical Sciences Corps and Major Line of the Air Force and Biomedical Sciences Corps central selection boards.

  • US, coalition partners demonstrate global defense capabilities

    Four U.S. Air Force and one Royal Australian Air Force C-17 Globemaster IIIs loaded with more than 300 American and Canadian paratroopers took off from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, to Shoalwater Bay, Australia, for biennial training exercise, Talisman Saber July 13, 2017.

  • Bonded through service, linked by fate

    Thousands gathered to witness an extraordinary display of resilience and strength by the nation’s wounded, ill and injured service members and veterans representing all branches of the military during the 2017 Defense Department Warrior Games in Chicago. The lives of two master sergeants became

  • AF selects 1,303 officers for field grade promotions

    The Air Force has selected 1,303 active-duty officers for promotion to colonel, lieutenant colonel and major during the 2017A Colonel Medical Service Corps, Lieutenant Colonel Line of the Air Force and Medical Service Corps, and Major Medical Service Corps central selection boards.

  • Civilians gain leadership, warfighter support skills through program

    The Department of Defense Executive Leadership Development Program has been molding leaders for more than 30 years. In keeping with that tradition, the ELDP class of 2017 gained valuable knowledge of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, and cyber missions and capabilities while visiting

  • Trump presents CINC Trophy to USAFA

    The U.S. Air Force Academy football team received the Commander in Chief’s Trophy from President Donald Trump during a visit to the White House May 2, 2017.

  • CSAF Prestigious Captains Ph.D. Program application window open

    The application window is open for active-duty Air Force captains interested in applying for the Chief of Staff of the Air Force Captains Prestigious Ph.D. Program which exposes rising officers to a unique learning experience at a top-tier university.

  • AF selects 471 for promotion to captain

    The Air Force selected 471 first lieutenants for promotion to captain during the 2016D Captain Line of the Air Force, chaplain, Line of the Air Force-judge advocate, nurse corps, medical service corps and biomedical service corps quarterly selection process.

  • Regional affairs program gets 54 new officers

    The Air Force has selected 54 line officers--51 captains and three majors--into the Regional Affairs Strategist program. The program, managed by the under secretary of the Air Force, international affairs, is a force development initiative intended to create a cadre of officers with in-depth

  • AF selects 818 officers for field grade promotions

    The Air Force has selected 818 active duty officers for promotion to colonel, lieutenant colonel and major during the 2016C Colonel Line of the Air Force, Line of the Air Force Judge Advocate, Nurse Corps and Chaplain; Lieutenant Colonel Chaplain, Nurse Corps and Line of the Air Force Judge

  • New course focuses on sortie production at tactical level

    The Advanced Sortie Production Course is the first advanced course specifically focusing on the art and science of sortie production at the tactical level. The new course will take place at the Air Force’s Advanced Maintenance and Munitions Operations School at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada.

  • 9th AF commander sets priorities

    Maj. Gen. Scott J. Zobrist assumed command of Ninth Air Force in May 2016. Since then, Zobrist visited the wings under Ninth AF, gained impressions and set his commander’s priorities.

  • AF selects 929 for promotion to captain

    The Air Force selected 929 first lieutenants for promotion to captain during the calendar year 2016C Captain Line of the Air Force, Chaplain, Line of the Air Force-Judge Advocate, Nurse Corps, Medical Service Corps and Biomedical Service Corps quarterly selection process.

  • Pilot carries on four generations of tradition

    Some people say flying is in their DNA. That couldn’t be truer for Capt. John Lockheed, an Air Force Reserve pilot assigned to the 302nd Airlift Wing at Peterson Air Force Base. He’s a fourth-generation pilot -- continuing a family tradition that encompasses more than a century of flight.

  • AF selects 1,931 for promotion to major

    The Air Force selected 1,931 captains for promotion to major during the calendar year 2016C major chaplain and line of the Air Force central selection boards.

  • AF selects 1,855 for promotion to captain

    The Air Force selected 1,855 first lieutenants for promotion to captain during the Calendar Year 2016B Captain Line of the Air Force, Chaplain, Line of the Air Force-Judge Advocate, Nurse Corps, Medical Service Corps and Biomedical Service Corps quarterly selection process. To view the lists, go to

  • Cody: Committed to moving forward

    Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James A. Cody conveyed his commitment to taking care of Airmen during the Air Force Association Air, Space and Cyber Conference in National Harbor, Maryland, Sept. 21.

  • Carlisle: F-35A is fusion warfare key component

    During a panel session at the Air Force Association Air, Space and Cyber Conference in National Harbor, Maryland, Sept. 20, F-35A Lightning II senior leadership discussed the future of the multi-role aircraft.

  • Caribou Vietnam vets honored at Pentagon

    The assistant vice chief of staff of the Air Force unveiled a scale model C-7A Caribou during a ceremony acknowledging the service of Vietnam War Caribou crewmembers and support personnel at the Pentagon Sept. 9.

  • Career Intermission Program provides hiatus from active-duty AF

    A year ago, Capt. Katie Evans, a personnel officer, had two choices: leave active duty to pursue full-time parenthood and hope to return some day, or apply for the new Career Intermission Program which would allow her to leave the service for a few years with a guaranteed return to active duty. CIP

  • Former AFMC commander talks innovation, third offset

    Innovation and the nation’s third offset strategy were topics brought forth by retired Gen. Gregory S. Martin, a former commander of Air Force Materiel Command, as he spoke with service members at Edwards Air Force Base, California, Aug. 24.

  • Amputee regains wings

    An HC-130J Combat King II pilot at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia, became the sixth amputee and the first female amputee to return to the cockpit. After an above-the-knee amputation and nearly 15 months of rehabilitation -- learning to walk, run and fly again -- Air Force Capt. Christy Wise, a 71st

  • Airmen help save fishermen at sea after ship catches fire

    Members of a special operations surgical team assigned to the 720th Special Tactics Group at Hurlburt Field, Florida, worked to save the lives of two critically-burned fishermen rescued 500 miles off the coast of Bermuda on June 22.

  • AF selects 1,447 for promotion to colonel, lieutenant colonel, major

    The Air Force selected 1,447 for promotion to colonel, lieutenant colonel and major during the 2016B Colonel Biomedical Sciences Corps; Lieutenant Colonel Line of the Air Force, Medical Service Corps and Biomedical Sciences Corps; and Major Biomedical Sciences Corps central selection boards.

  • That others may live: Silver Star medal for fallen Airman, son

    Capt. Matthew Roland, of the 23rd Special Tactics Squadron, posthumously received the Silver Star on June 1 for actions taken during an ambush Aug. 26, 2015, in Afghanistan. Roland's family accepted the decoration on behalf of the fallen special tactics officer.

  • Sirius Potatoes wins StellarXplorers STEM competition

    Sirius Potatoes, a team from Palos Verdes Peninsula High School in Rolling Hills Estates, California, recently won the StellarXplorers space system design competition at the Space Foundation’s 32nd Space Symposium in Colorado Springs.

  • AF selects 319 for promotion to colonel, lieutenant colonel, major

    The Air Force selected 319 for promotion to colonel, lieutenant colonel and major during the 2016A Colonel Chaplain and Medical Service Corps; Lieutenant Colonel Line of the Air Force Judge Advocate and Nurse Corps; and Major LAF-J, Medical Service Corps and Nurse Corps central selection boards.

  • Airman swims into university’s hall of fame

    For one 96th Test Wing Airman, the wild blue yonder isn't overhead but below and in front of his gaze as he stands on the starting block waiting for his signal. Upon the alert, he blasts off and pierces his calm blue horizon to begin a competitive swim. Senior Airman Francisco Perez Castillo, a 96th

  • Lessons learned from Operation Desert Storm

    Twenty five years ago, the world watched a display of military force in the Persian Gulf. America’s adversaries have spent each year since pursuing capabilities both to counter U.S. strengths and to exploit perceived weaknesses. Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein participated in a

  • Newest 'Freedom Flyer' takes final flight for his B-52 crew

    The events on Dec. 20, 1972, were clearly on the mind of former Air Force pilot Paul Granger as he exited a T-38C Talon following a special hourlong flight March 3 that began and ended on the east flightline at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas.

  • Planning to quit, fighting to succeed: Airman earns Ranger tab

    Staff Sgt. Robert Keefe, the 736th Security Forces Squadron NCO in charge of training, was the 266th Airmen to graduate U.S. Army Ranger School. It was his chance to prove his mettle as a combat-ready Airman among some of the military’s toughest warriors.

  • Success through total force integration at Red Flag 16-1

    It’s a given that no aircraft leaves the ground unless it is working properly. But that maintenance challenge has been multiplied here during the three-week Red Flag 16-1 exercise. With almost 80 aircraft taking off twice daily during Red Flag, hundreds of aircraft maintainers assigned to flying

  • Air Force selects 1,096 for promotion to captain

    Air Force officials selected 1,096 first lieutenants for promotion to captain during the calendar year 2015C Line of the Air Force, Chaplain, LAF Judge Advocate, Nurse Corps, Medical Service Corps and Biomedical Sciences Corps Quarterly Selection Process.

  • Desert Storm: 2nd Bomb Wing leads the air war

    In the early morning of Jan. 16, 1991, the 2nd Bomb Wing deployed seven B-52G Stratofortresses and crews to Iraq in a single, secret mission that would mark the beginning of Operation Desert Storm.

  • Remembering Desert Storm: Where we are today in the Total Force Continuum

    A quarter of a century ago this week marked the opening salvo in Operation Desert Storm. The operation was an American shock and awe campaign to evict Saddam Hussein from Kuwait and displayed airpower that the world had not seen since Operation Linebacker II over Vietnam. I was honored to be part of

  • Maintainers keep KC-135s flying downrange

    The 340th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Unit at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, maintains the largest KC-135 Stratotanker fleet in the world of more than 40 aircraft valued at roughly $2 billion.