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  • Air War College revises nonresident program

    The Air War College here announced the revision of its nonresident studies course to ensure currency and relevancy.The college will launch the new curriculum in January.The accelerated content meets joint professional military education Phase II requirements and reflects recent changes in the Air

  • Pentagon to hold 9/11 memorial tour, walk

    The Defense Department will open the site of the planned Pentagon Memorial and the existing America's Heroes Memorial to the public for the first time Sept. 10, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.Military honor guard tour guides will lead tours and answer questions, and a model of the future Pentagon Memorial

  • Keesler recovery efforts already showing results

    People here are well into recovery operations just a week after the base and much of the Gulf Coast sustained massive damage from Hurricane Katrina."We're in the recovery and reconstitution stages where we're assessing the damage and repairing the facilities we're going to need in order to be able

  • Vandenberg tests Minuteman III ICBM

    An unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile successfully launched from here Sept. 7 and landed in the Marshall Islands about 30 minutes later.The mission, conducted by people with the 30th Space Wing and the 576th Flight Test Squadron here and the 91st SW from Minot AFB, N.D, tested

  • Air Force BEAR Base deploys supporting JTF-Katrina

    Airmen with the 49th Materiel Maintenance Group here began deploying in support of Joint Task Force-Katrina, the massive relief effort directed at providing humanitarian aid to Gulf Coast victims of Hurricane Katrina.The 49th MMG, the only Basic Expeditionary Airfield Resources Base group in the Air

  • 1st AF provides command, control for Katrina relief efforts

    When the Federal Emergency Management Agency requested Department of Defense resources to help with Hurricane Katrina relief operations, 1st Air Force here established the 1st Aerospace Expeditionary Task Force-Katrina Operation.The 1st AETF is the Air Force organization designated to perform

  • Recruiting service seeking hurricane-affected future Airmen

    Air Force Recruiting Service officials here are seeking contact from members of the delayed entry program who have been affected by Hurricane Katrina.Those affected may contact the recruiting service at (210) 671-2951 Monday through Friday between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. CDT. After normal business hours,

  • NRO director supports hurricane relief, warfighter

    As a newly minted physicist, one of the first sets of experiments Dr. Donald M. Kerr worked on involved the use of small rockets. Today, many years later, Dr. Kerr is no longer simply experimenting with rocket science; instead, he is leading it as the new director of the National Reconnaissance

  • Offutt services crew provides comfort to hurricane victims

    Some Airmen may wear the uniform for quite a while before they truly learn what it means to be in the Air Force.But for Airman 1st Class Keith Torgersen, it only took 10 months.Airman Torgersen is a services specialist with the 55th Services Squadron. He, and about 20 of his peers from Offutt Air

  • Air Force announces OTS selections

    More than 60 men and women from throughout America have earned an opportunity to become Air Force leaders following their selection for a commission, officials here announced Sept. 2. Air Force Recruiting Service officials considered 467 applications as part of Officer Training School Selection

  • Tricare benefits continue for hurricane victims

    Tricare beneficiaries and their families affected by Hurricane Katrina will continue to receive health benefits, service and support during this time of tragedy, said Tricare Management Activity officials.“We are aware that many of our active duty servicemembers, retirees and their families have

  • Little Rock, Tyndall, Guard Bureau helping evacuees

    As recovery efforts continue in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Air Force bases are opening their doors to help evacuees."We will do everything we can to get (families) situated here and to be comfortable," said Brig. Gen. Joseph M. Reheiser, 314th Airlift Wing commander at Little Rock Air Force

  • AF support missions intensify after wake of Hurricane Katrina

    As thousands flee in a mass exodus from Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi, hundreds of Airmen nationwide are flocking to the region to help recover from Hurricane Katrina's devastation.Dozens of Air Force aircraft have flown missions supporting Federal Emergency Management Agency humanitarian

  • Minot helicopter flight supports hurricane relief efforts

    Four 54th Helicopter Flight Airmen and one UH-1N Huey helicopter departed here early Sept. 2 en route to Columbus Air Force Base, Miss., to assist in the Hurricane Katrina disaster response.The crew, comprising two pilots, a flight engineer and a civilian maintenance crew chief, along with two

  • Hotline links deployed troops, hurricane-struck families

    With thousands of troops from the hurricane-stricken Gulf Coast deployed thousands of miles from home and worried about their families, a program operated by the National Guard Bureau is providing a vital communication link and assurance that families are being taken care of.Army Col. Anthony Baker

  • AFPC announces corrected CJTF credit guidelines

    Officials at the Air Force Personnel Center here announced updated guidance to state cumulative credit awarded for combined joint task force deployments cannot be combined with present or future joint duty assignments.Also, full joint credit for JTF deployments can only be awarded if the total

  • Air Force Aid Society establishes relief fund

    In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the Air Force Aid Society has established a nationwide relief fund to help Air Force families affected by the hurricane.Donations to the AFAS Hurricane Relief Fund will be accepted directly from individuals, corporations and organizations, both military and

  • AF helicopter crews rescue 221 hurricane victims

    Air Force special operations helicopter crews from the 347th Rescue Wing rescued more than 200 people stranded in areas hard hit by Hurricane Katrina through Aug. 31.Flying from Jackson-Evers International Airport, Miss., these and other Air Force Special Operations Command aircrews are continuing

  • Mail service to Keesler AFB suspended

    U.S. Postal Service officials announced a suspension of express mail service, and standard and periodicals mail acceptance -- from any source -- to several ZIP codes in the gulf coast region struck by Hurricane Katrina, including Keesler Air Force Base, Miss.The emergency actions have been taken as

  • Airmen help on 'front lines' in New Orleans

    In a cramped conference room, Airmen from the 122nd Air Support Operations Squadron here operate and monitor a satellite radio linked to tactical air control party Airman in New Orleans to help coordinate disaster relief efforts in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Controllers from the squadron, who

  • Drowsy driving cause for concern

    In July 2004, three Airmen at Fairchild Air Force Base, Wash., and the 16-year-old brother of one of them were involved in an automobile accident that changed their lives forever. It was an accident that Air Force safety officials said is all too familiar -- falling asleep at the wheel.What started

  • Watch live broadcast of chief of staff change ceremony

    The swearing in of Gen. T. Michael Moseley as the Air Force’s 18th chief of staff will be broadcast live Sept. 2 from Andrews Air Force Base, Md. The live broadcast is scheduled for 10 a.m. EDT and will be available on the Pentagon Channel and on Air Force Link at www.af.mil/csaf/player.html The

  • 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

  • Officials address defense pay issues in Katrina's wake

    Banks and credit unions in Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi have implemented contingency procedures in the wake of Hurricane Katrina that will mean a normal payday for those expecting Defense Finance and Accounting Service automatic deposits Sept. 1, DFAS officials announced.DFAS has completed

  • Flyover to honor chief of staff change

    Old and new fighter aircraft will perform a farewell flyover for the outgoing Air Force chief and welcome the new chief during a ceremony at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., on Sept. 2.Gen. John P. Jumper, the current Air Force chief of staff, will retire and pass the flag to the current vice chief of

  • SGLI coverage takes effect Sept. 1

    The Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance maximum coverage will increase to $400,000 on Sept. 1, Department of Defense officials said.Servicemembers eligible for SGLI will automatically be insured for the maximum coverage of $400,000. The monthly premium remains $3.25 per $50,000 of coverage, so the

  • AF clarifies hurricane evacuation entitlements

    Air Force officials want to ensure Airmen, their families and Department of Defense civilian employees evacuated during Hurricane Katrina are aware they may be eligible for certain entitlements.Eligible people may be entitled to limited evacuation allowances and expenses for lodging, transportation,

  • Gulfport Armed Forces Retirement Home residents evacuate

    Officials at the Armed Forces Retirement Home in Gulfport, Miss., announced plans Aug. 30 to evacuate 416 now-homeless veterans from the hurricane-decimated home and move them to its sister facility here.Most of the veterans were preparing to leave Gulfport on Aug. 30 by charter bus for the Armed

  • Guard, NORTHCOM respond to hurricane aftermath

    Twenty-four hours after Hurricane Katrina battered the Gulf Coast, about 7,500 National Guardsmen from Alabama, Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi were on duty supporting civil authorities, distributing generators, providing medical care, and setting up shelters for displaced residents.In addition,

  • Stop Movement lifted for Tyndall; Keesler remains in effect

    Base officials have reinstated all permanent change of station and temporary duty travel to Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla. Stop Movement is still in effect for the following areas: Keesler AFB, Miss.; 361st Training Squadron, Detachment 2, Pensacola, Fla.; and 366th Det. 6, Gulfport Naval Air

  • AF wins armed forces softball title

    Air Force wrapped up the Armed Forces Women’s Softball Championship with a decisive 20-15 victory here Aug. 26 over Army.Air Force lost to Army in the 2004 championship following a three-year winning streak -- this year they meant to get it back.The top of the first inning led off with Army left

  • Keesler, Columbus survive Hurricane Katrina

    Keesler Air Force Base, Miss., survived a direct hit by Hurricane Katrina, but initial estimates show it suffered extensive damage to industrial and housing areas.At Columbus AFB, Miss., about 290 miles north of Keesler, base officials said the pilot training base suffered only moderate damage to

  • Vandenberg launches Minuteman III

    An unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile launched from here Aug. 26 as part of a developmental test demonstrating the ability to integrate a safety enhanced re-entry vehicle into the existing Minuteman III weapons system.The missile launched under the guidance of the 576th Flight

  • AF chief of staff change ceremony set for Sept. 2

    The swearing in of Gen. T. Michael Moseley as the Air Force’s 18th chief of staff will be broadcast live Sept. 2 from Andrews Air Force Base, Md. The live broadcast is scheduled for 10 a.m. EDT and will be available on the Pentagon Channel and on Air Force Link at http://www.af.mil/csaf/player.html

  • Family members, survivors receive identification cards

    A permanent U.S. uniformed services identification card will be available in September for all eligible family members and survivors age 75 and over of deceased servicemembers.Currently, uniformed services retirees are the only persons who receive a permanent ID card.Beneficiaries currently in

  • Annual Combined Federal Campaign kicks off

    The 2005 to 2006 Combined Federal Campaign begins Sept. 1 and runs six consecutive weeks through Dec. 15 for bases within the continental United States. The overseas CFC campaign begins Oct. 1 and runs six consecutive weeks through Dec. 15.Exact dates and campaign goals are established in each

  • Certain officers eligible for CJTF credit

    Active-duty officers in the grades of major and above, and some captains, are eligible to receive joint duty credit for deployments because of a recently expanded list of approved operations.The fiscal 2002 National Defense Authorization Act and Title 10 United States Code Section 664 authorizes

  • Tricare unveils new extended health-care option

    Tricare’s Extended Care Health Option will be available for beneficiaries of active-duty family members with defined qualifying conditions Sept. 1. Beneficiaries currently receiving care through the Program for Persons with Disabilities and not qualified for ECHO will continue care through Tricare

  • AFRC exceeds recruiting goal

    For the fifth consecutive year, Air Force Reserve Command has exceeded its recruiting goal.This year is the earliest the command has achieved its annual requirement. The recruiting year ends Sept. 30.AFRC Recruiting Service met its 2005 recruiting year goal Aug. 11 when it gained its 8,800th

  • Willow Grove operates joint hazmat pharmacy

    More joint operations seem to be the way of the future for America's military, with the four branches of service sharing land, runways, missions and services. At Willow Grove, they are sharing chemicals, too.Located on the southeast side of the base, the hazmat pharmacy here provides the chemical

  • Force shaping Phase II evolves for officers in fiscal 2006

    The Air Force’s officer corps is overmanned by about 4,000 Airmen.In fiscal 2005, the Air Force’s voluntary force shaping initiatives successfully reduced the size of the active duty population to its congressionally authorized level of 359,000.However, the fiscal 2006 budget trims the Air Force

  • Kirtland Airman hits jackpot

    A master sergeant here got a whole lot more than milk during a recent trip to the supermarket.In fact, Master Sgt. John San Cartier, a special operations loadmaster instructor with the 58th Training Squadron, “got” a lottery ticket that ended up winning the $93.4 million jackpot.The 15-year Air

  • International academy program gives worldly perspective

    Today’s officers must be prepared to function in an international environment. While the academy’s international program provides cadets with a variety of opportunities to hone their leadership skills overseas, foreign cadets travel here to study similar skills.There are 48 four-year international

  • Vietnam War missing in action Airman identified

    Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office officials announced Aug. 19 that the remains of a U.S. Airman, missing in action from the Vietnam War, have been identified and are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.Col. Gregg Hartness, of Dallas, will be buried in

  • Airman donates hair to Locks of Love

    Eielson has many volunteers who give of themselves for the benefit of others. However, not many can say they committed themselves and prepared for more than a year before they could give their gift.Staff Sgt. Amanda Lamar, a unit deployment manager for the 354th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, grew

  • Child development center offers parents car seat guidance

    Child development center employees who are trained and certified by the National Safe Kids Campaign are offering car seat checks here.“It’s a proven fact that child safety seats and seat belts save lives and prevent injuries,” said Bernice Padilla, of the 22nd Air Refueling Wing’s safety office.

  • Shuttle lands, departs under Edwards watchful eye

    From its Aug. 9 landing to its Aug. 19 departure here on the back of a modified Boeing 747, civilians and Airmen here remained heavily engaged in supporting Space Shuttle Discovery.While the shuttle and its mission were primarily NASA's responsibility, Edwards played a major role in bringing the

  • Hearing aids available for active-duty families

    Beginning Sept. 1, active-duty family members who meet specific hearing-loss requirements, will be eligible to receive hearing aids, including services and supplies, as a Tricare benefit.This benefit is extended to family members as part of the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2002.

  • AFPC notifies Airmen of criminal activity

    The Air Force is notifying more than 33,000 Airmen that a security breach has occurred in the online Assignment Management System.The notification comes after Air Force Personnel Center officials here alerted Air Force and federal investigators to unusually high activity on a single user's AMS

  • New flag-folding script focuses on history, AF significance

    Air Force leaders recently approved a new script that can be read during flag-folding ceremonies. Though there are no official ceremonies in the Air Force that require a script to be read when a flag is folded, unofficial ceremonies such as retirements often do, said Lt. Col. Samuel Hudspath, Air

  • ARPC officials announce officer promotions

    Air Reserve Personnel Center officials here announced Aug. 18 the 2006 Air Force Reserve officer promotion selection board results that selected 2,218 officers for promotion.The list of officers selected is available on the ARPC Web site at http://arpc.afrc.af.mil/promotions/officer/default.asp.The

  • Negative effects of smoking not deterring servicemembers

    The death of broadcasting icon Peter Jennings from lung cancer has again brought smoking and its dangers to the forefront of public consciousness.Before his death, Mr. Jennings admitted he was a longtime smoker.While an estimated 25 percent of Americans smoke, the military's numbers hover at 34

  • Air Force seeks stories from ‘9/11 Generation’

    The face of the world changed when terrorists intentionally crashed commercial aircraft into the Twin Towers in New York and into the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001. A global audience watched the attacks live on television, and the repeated images haunted many for weeks, months or even years.These

  • Air Force conducts test of new officer assignment system

    The Air Force will conduct a test of a continuous officer assignment system for a select group of career fields beginning in September.The test system, designed as the result of a Lean process review, seeks to eliminate the vulnerable-to-move list and facilitate deliberate career moves through force

  • AFPC analysts support force development vision

    In-depth scrutiny of personnel issues keeps analysts busy at the Air Force Personnel Center here as they provide data to further the force development vision.These analysts serve the needs of more than 45 career field management teams that oversee the development of more than 200,000 Air Force

  • Podcasting a first for Air Force

    For the first time, the Air Force is using the Internet and digital technology to podcast its radio news.Podcasts are broadcasts of Internet audio programs, usually in an MP3 format. People can then subscribe to receive the audio files. Many commercial content providers offer free podcast feeds

  • Museum of Aviation earns national accreditation

    The Museum of Aviation here has been awarded national accreditation by the American Association of Museums.The recognition places the museum in a group of only nine aviation museums in the nation that have met the AAM standards of achievement. Accreditation signifies excellence within the museum

  • Hundreds of NCOs face retraining into new specialties

    More than 3,000 staff, technical and master sergeants have been identified to receive retraining vulnerability notices under the initial phase of the Air Force's fiscal 2006 Noncommissioned Officer Retraining Program.The retraining program is designed to help balance the enlisted force by moving

  • Rabbi uses Iraq trip to help shape AF vision, values

    Iraq was one of the first places the new adviser on Air Force values and vision went to see how Airmen apply their guiding principles in a wartime environment.Rabbi Arnold E. Resnicoff, special assistant for values and visions to the secretary of the Air Force and the chief of staff, traveled to

  • Chaplain serves Airmen, Soldiers at remote posts

    When Army Spc. Jacob Boomsaad fell in love with a fellow Soldier while serving in Iraq, he feared he would have to delay the wedding until almost six months after returning from their deployment to marry in a Catholic church. That is until the specialist with the 2nd Battalion, 142nd Infantry

  • Jumper set to retire

    Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John P. Jumper will retire after 39 years of service at a Sept. 2 ceremony at Andrews Air Force Base, Md. His effective date of retirement will be Nov. 1.Acting Secretary of the Air Force Pete Geren will preside over the ceremony, and Gen. T. Michael Moseley, currently

  • Atlas V MRO launches from Cape Canaveral

    The 45th Space Wing supported the successful launch of a satellite to Mars on Aug. 12.An Atlas V rocket from nearby Cape Canaveral Air Force Station launched the NASA Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter satellite into space.“The men and women of the 45th Space Wing provided top-notch range services to

  • Vandenberg aids in Discovery landing

    The Space Shuttle Discovery landed safely Aug. 9 at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., partly because of the efforts of Airmen at the 30th Space Wing here.Airmen in Western Range operations and the 76th Helicopter Flight supported the re-entry and landing of the shuttle at Edwards after it was unable

  • Five Airmen -- brothers in fight for freedom

    The remains of five Airmen, brothers in arms to bring freedom to the nation of Iraq, were buried here Aug. 11 with full military honors.They were Maj. William Downs of the 6th Special Operations Squadron at Hurlburt Field, Fla.; Capt. Jeremy Fresques of the 23rd Special Tactics Squadron at Hurlburt

  • Personal sacrifices by enlisted force not overlooked

    At one point or another in every servicemember’s career, he or she will make a personal sacrifice for the accomplishment of the mission.Chief Master Sgt. John Foran, 9th Air Force and U.S. Central Command Air Forces command chief, wants the enlisted force to know their sacrifices, particularly from

  • Most BRAC '05 environmental restoration remedies in place

    The Defense Department has identified and provided remedies for environmental restoration issues associated with most of the installations on the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure list, a senior DOD official told the BRAC commission Aug. 11."From a base-reuse perspective the department will enter

  • DOD launches deployment health, family readiness library

    Servicemembers, their families and their health-care providers have a new online Defense Department resource for deployment health issues.The DOD’s Deployment Health Risk Communication Working Group and the Joint Task Force for Family Readiness Education on Deployments have joined together to create

  • Safety officials offer advice to remedy vehicle risks

    Vehicle rollovers comprised 3 percent of nearly 11 million reported traffic accidents in 2002, yet accounted for 33 percent of highway fatalities that year, according to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration. The danger of rollover accidents is well known here. Since January

  • Historic Cape Canaveral tower toppled

    What took years to build required only seconds to knock down Aug. 6 when 171 pounds of strategically placed explosives toppled a historic 179-foot mobile service tower here.The 1,300-ton structure was used to launch 51 Atlas/Agena space vehicles in the 1960s and 1970s. The most famous of those

  • 'Freedom Walk' to commemorate 9/11, celebrate freedom

    Defense Department officials announced Aug. 9 the first "America Supports You” Freedom Walk to honor the victims of Sept. 11, 2001, and America's servicemembers, as well as to celebrate freedom.The Freedom Walk will begin at 10 a.m. Sept. 11 in the Pentagon south parking lot, near the site where the

  • Air superiority: 48 years of Falcon football

    Jim Bowman and Falcon football have been attached at the hip pad for 48 of the program’s 50 years. When Air Force kicks off Sept. 3 against the Washington Huskies, it will be the 534th Falcon game played during Mr. Bowman’s tenure.The former freshman and junior varsity coach turned associate

  • Airmen, Soldiers work with Hondurans to provide care

    Outside the double doors, the waiting area looked like any typical hospital. On Aug. 3, a couple waited tensely for news about their son’s procedure, while a young girl in a teddy bear hospital gown giggled with her family while waiting her turn to see the doctors. But the work taking place inside

  • Air Force announces staff sergeant promotion rate

    The Air Force has selected 14,614 of 36,405 eligible senior airmen for promotion to staff sergeant, a 40.14-percent selection rate. The rate dropped slightly from last year.The Air Force will release the promotion list at 9 a.m. CDT on Aug. 10. The complete list of selectees will be posted online

  • Jumper provides insight to BRAC, joint basing initiatives

    The largest Base Realignment and Closure proposal in history calls for the closing of 10 Air Force installations and the realignment of 62 more. In his Aug. 3 Chief’s Sight Picture, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John P. Jumper explains how BRAC and joint basing will help maximize the Air Force’s

  • Rumsfeld lauds AF progress in adapting to fight terrorists

    Airmen worldwide have been filling nontraditional roles to contribute to the fight against a multifaceted, adaptive insurgency, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said here Aug. 2.Addressing a meeting of the Air Force Sergeants Association, Secretary Rumsfeld highlighted the different jobs Airmen

  • Air Force seeks applicants for IAS program

    Air Force officials are looking to develop a cadre of Air Force officers with international insight, foreign language proficiency and cultural understanding to work in today's security and expeditionary operations environment.The Air Force will select officers at the midcareer point, normally seven

  • Air Force Intern Program develops future leaders

    The Air Force Intern Program Central Selection Board will convene at the Air Force Personnel Center here following the fall 2005 Developmental Team Review Process.The board will choose 30 junior and midlevel captains to study the application of air and space power and observe senior Defense

  • Long-term care insurance small price to pay

    Active-duty Airmen, some reservists, appropriated-fund civilian employees, retirees and qualified family members can still apply for the Federal Long-Term Care Insurance Program.The program can help federal employees defray the costs of in-home care, nursing-home care, or assisted-living facilities

  • ARPC supports one-stop service

    It is more than 7,000 miles to Baghdad from here, but for an individual mobilization augmentee serving in Iraq, personnel services are only seconds away.Air Reserve Personnel Center officials here recently released the Virtual Personnel Center Guard Reserve, a Web-based personnel service portal

  • Airmen medevac two wounded Afghans

    A combat search and rescue crew evacuated two Afghan nationals who had been wounded by stray shrapnel from an anti-coalition militia mortar attack against a forward-operating base in a village northeast of Kandahar, Afghanistan, on July 28.After the attack, the two -- an adult and a 12-year-old boy

  • Basic cadets focus on next training obstacle

    Academy cadets began their final two weeks of training recently with a 7.8 mile hike to Jacks Valley. Almost 1,400 basic cadets from the class of 2009 marched from the main campus to the field training site they will call home during the field portion of basic cadet training.The field portion of BCT

  • EQUAL available Aug. 2

    The Enlisted Quarterly Assignment Listing for Airmen returning from overseas April to June 2006 will be available Aug. 2.Airmen can contact their military personnel flights or their commander's support staff to update their preferences by Aug. 18. Deployed Airmen should contact their personnel

  • AFIT, research lab agreement boosts research capabilities

    Scientists, faculty and students will have greater access to research opportunities through a landmark Memorandum of Agreement signed July 26 between the Air Force Institute of Technology and the Air Force Research Laboratory.Maj. Gen. Perry L. Lamy, AFRL commander, and Brig. Gen. Mark T. Matthews,

  • ESGR gives support to reservists, guardsmen, employers

    A viable Guard and reserve force -- a critical weapon in the struggle against violent extremism -- depends on having viable employer support, said Gary Walston, newly appointed program specialist for the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve in Texas.Mr. Walston, a retired Air National

  • Davis-Monthan woman recognized for helping environment

    An environmental engineer here won $2,500 from “Good Housekeeping” magazine as a runner-up for the magazine’s Women in Government award.Karen Oden is assigned to the 355th Civil Engineer Squadron.The women selected for the award worked endless hours overcoming huge hurdles to make big changes,

  • Shaw F-16s intercept shuttle airspace violator

    Two F-16 Fighting Falcons, enforcing a temporary no-fly zone around the Space Shuttle Discovery launch site at Cape Canaveral, Fla., intercepted and escorted a small civilian aircraft from the area July 26.It was during the nine-minute hold in the countdown when the pilots recieved the call from

  • Airmen missing from Vietnam War identified

    Officials with the Department of Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office announced July 26 that the remains of two Airmen, missing in action from the Vietnam War, have been identified and are being returned to their families for burial with full military honors.They are Col. James Lewis of

  • AF experiments to return home with Discovery

    After existing nearly four years on the International Space Station, more than 800 Air Force experiments will finally return home with the Space Shuttle Discovery on Aug. 7.The space shuttle launched July 26 from Cape Canaveral, Fla., on a 12-day mission to test new flight safety procedures and

  • Battlelab technicians develop solutions for warfighters

    With sand whipping across your face and sweat dripping down your forehead, you squint through the scope at the enemy target."The third building on the left," you shout into the radio. A garbled transmission is returned. Closing your eyes, you take a deep breath and hope the pilot heard you. The

  • STRATCOM supports shuttle in return to flight

    Two and a half years have passed since the tragedy of the Space Shuttle Columbia accident brought the nation’s manned space flight program to a grinding halt.Now, as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration prepares to re-enter the final frontier, U.S. Strategic Command is standing by as

  • Blue Flag starts with bang at Nellis, Hurlburt Field

    Joint forces from around the United States, along with 11 coalition partners, converged here and at the Combined Air Operations Center at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., for the start of Blue Flag 05-02 on July 24.About 2,000 joint troops, led by 9th Air Force, are participating at the two locations

  • Test pilot school selection board date set

    Air Force officials plan to hold the next test pilot school selection board at the Air Force Personnel Center here Nov. 28 to Dec. 2 for classes beginning in July 2006 and January 2007.The U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School trains pilots and navigators as well as civilian and military engineers to

  • Air Force Reserve seeks applicants for full-time duty

    Air Force Reserve officials are looking for officers and enlisted people to fill full-time Active Guard and Reserve positions.In the past 15 years, the number of slots has increased from 400 to more than 1,900 authorizations."We have opportunities in many specialties but a larger concentration in

  • Future Total Force outlined on Capitol Hill

    There will be no "gap" between the end of assigned missions for Air National Guard units and the beginning of their replacement missions.In testimony before the House Armed Services Committee on July 20, the director of Air Force plans and programs told legislators the service is working hard to

  • Panel adds bases for closure, realignment consideration

    The 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission voted to add several military installations, including Pope Air Force Base, N.C., to a list for closure or realignment considerations during July 19 hearings here.The previous day, senior Defense Department officials provided testimony before the

  • National Security Personnel System survey period extended

    Response to a survey about the new National Security Personnel System has been "enthusiastic," so defense officials extended the survey period through July 27 to allow civil service employees more opportunity to participate.The survey period began July 6 and was initially scheduled to continue

  • Officials announce Nurse Corps selections to major

    The Air Force selected 177 captains for promotion to major in the calendar year 2004 Major Nurse Corps central selection board.The list will be posted on the Air Force Personnel Center Web site at www.afpc.randolph.af.mil/offprom no later than 2 p.m. CDT on July 20. The board considered 347

  • Innovative techniques help Air Force meet manning goals

    The Air Force deputy chief of staff for personnel told lawmakers July 19 the service would meet its end-strength requirement by the end of the fiscal year. In March, Lt. Gen. Roger A. Brady told lawmakers the service would meet its end-strength goal by end of the fiscal year."End strength" is the

  • Air Force accepting physician assistant applications

    The Air Force is taking applications for physician assistant Phase I training classes in beginning January, April and August 2007.Only active-duty enlisted Airmen are eligible to apply.The selection board is scheduled to convene at the Air Force Personnel Center here March 21, 2006. Completed

  • Air Force accepting physical therapy applications

    The Air Force is taking applications for the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program which begins Dec. 17, 2006, at the Health Science Center at Fort Sam Houston, Texas.Only active-duty Airmen who possess a baccalaureate degree or those who are in the final semester before receiving a degree that