HomeNews

NATO Air Policing operations

U.S. Air Force News

  • Test pilot briefs T-6 nation

    An F-16 Fighting Falcon’s sustained 9 g-force break turn is no small matter on a normal day. Imagine yourself there. Your head weighs 180 pounds and your arms are pinned to the stick and throttle; let go of your breath the wrong way, and you watch the world fade from gray to black in an instant. Now

  • First-ever blood test for detecting brain injury cleared by FDA

    Brain injuries can happen from a fall, while in combat or during training exercises. Thanks in part to research funded by the Defense Department and the Army, Banyan Biomarkers has created the first-ever brain trauma blood test. On Feb. 14, 2018, the Food and Drug Administration cleared marketing of

  • Airmen participate in joint rescue mission

    Rescue Airmen from the 23rd Wing recently participated in a joint rescue operation alongside other Air Force and Marine Corps assets, approximately 675 nautical miles off the coast of California.

  • Should we really “pin them where they win them”

    Active duty Air Force members who have changed stations in the recent past (approximately the last ten years or so) are likely to have experienced a push to get their PCS decoration written and awarded before PCSing so that their shop, or even their commander, can present the medal prior to the

  • Airman earns medal for rescuing double amputee from flood

    In total darkness, with temperatures only in the high 30s and in the midst of a monstrous rainstorm, Tech. Sgt. Phillip Dyer waded into rapidly-moving, chest-deep-and-rising waters to save a trapped flood victim on the verge of hypothermia and drowning.

  • Hearts of strength

    She heard the dull and tiresome beep from a heart monitor in a dark hospital room in the Southeast Alabama Medical Center in Dothan, Alabama, on March 12, 2014. Light cut into the room as the door opened and a doctor walked in, waking her and her husband, Kyle Kramer.

  • Fairfield to the front lines: Honoring Air Force heritage

    The aircraft was a C-5M Super Galaxy assigned to the 22nd Airlift Squadron, and its 11-person crew was all African-American. This historic mission was created to honor the heritage of the Tuskegee Airmen and to showcase the capability of Travis AFB to deliver cargo from the U.S. to the front lines

  • Airmen code for combat in Cambridge

    Six teams of Airmen hung up their camo and dress uniforms to don hoodies and Star Wars apparel before traveling to Cambridge, Massachusetts, where they work with civilian software coders to build combat applications. The group of Hanscom Air Force Base Airmen are participating in the Air Operations

  • ACC commander discusses the warfighter's edge

    The commander of Air Combat Command, Gen. Mike Holmes, discussed the importance of taking the lead in warfighting through innovation at the 2018 Air Force Association Air Warfare Symposium in Orlando, Florida, Feb. 23, 2018.

  • SOST members earn Bronze Star Medals

    The brightly lit, inviting atrium of the University of Alabama Hospital is a far cry from the two room, concrete-walled farmhouse in the Middle East where the U.S. Air Force Special Operations Surgical Team, based out of the UAB, deployed in 2016. During their four-month tour at that casualty

  • Sunsetting the MQ-1 Predator: A history of innovation

    The MQ-1 Predator is a remotely piloted aircraft flown by aircrew assigned to the 432nd Wing/432nd Air Expeditionary Wing at Creech Air Force Base and units around the world. It has contributed to the U.S. warfighting efforts in unprecedented ways and is scheduled to sunset on March 9, 2018, as the

  • Air Force members win Black Engineer of the Year Awards

    Senior leader officials recognized two Air Force members at the 32nd Black Engineer of the Year Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, Global Competitiveness Conference, Feb. 9, 2018, in Washington, D.C., for exceptional achievements in STEM career fields.

  • Medal of Honor recipient, former POW laid to rest

    As a Medal of Honor recipient and former Prisoner of War, retired Col. Leo Thorsness’s life mantra after returning home from the Vietnam War was “Faith, Family, Friends and Fun.”With the support of Air Force senior leaders, his wife, Gaylee, and daughter, Dawn, kept those words close as they said

  • Military working dog revived by vet tech

    The dog lay on the table struggling to breathe in the throes of a severe heat stroke. Pako, 96th Security Forces Squadron military working dog, thrashed around wildly. His vital signs were fading fast. At one point, his pulse vanished. Pako’s heart stopped.

  • 122nd FW takes joint training to new heights

    The 122nd Fighter Wing recently completed Operation Guardian Blitz during a two-week joint training exercise at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, which included air-to-air refueling, training alongside Navy rotary assets and joint terminal attack controllers.

  • Dover AFB partners with AFRL to innovate in fuel efficiency

    The Air Force Research Laboratory's Advanced Power Technology Office from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, collaborated with Dover AFB Airmen and private companies on programs to make the entire C-17 Globemaster III fleet lighter, safer and more fuel efficient Jan. 30, 2018.

  • Air Force announces next steps in light attack experimentation

    Following the Light Attack Experiment conducted in August 2017, the Air Force announced its intention to continue experimenting with two non-developmental aircraft, the Textron Aviation AT-6 Wolverine and the Sierra Nevada/Embraer A-29 Super Tucano, from May to July 2018 at Davis-Monthan Air Force

  • RPA aviators recognized with Doolittle Award

    Airmen assigned to the 432nd Wing/432nd Air Expeditionary Wing at Creech Air Force Base, Nevada, received the Air Force Historical Foundation’s 2017, James H. “Jimmy” Doolittle Award, Jan. 30, 2018, at the U.S. Air Force Memorial in Arlington, Va., for their contributions to aviation history.

  • Reserve wing receives German Maritime Search and Rescue award

    For the first time in 20 years, the German Maritime Search and Rescue Service awarded the Medal of Honor on Ribbon for Rescue Missions at Sea in Gold in a special ceremony to the 920th Rescue Wing Jan. 26, 2018, at the German Martime Museum.The wing, based out of Patrick Air Force Base, Florida, was

  • 386th EMXS Combat Metals Flight: fabricating parts, saving money

    The combat metals flight combines multiple Air Force specialties, including aircraft structural maintenance and aircraft metals technology technicians. This flight tends to be exclusive to deployed environments, allowing the utilization and optimization of available resources.

  • Dentist charters private plane for Puerto Rico

    Ortiz Gonzales reached out to a friend from dental school, who was also from Puerto Rico. Together, they worked with a church in Florida and chartered a private plane. It wasn’t cheap, but the price did not deter her. She personally funded the mission and got to work gathering supplies to fill the

  • Around the Air Force: Jan. 19

    On this look around the Air Force Ohio Air National Guard Airmen support theater security in Estonia, combat aviation advisors are authorized to wear a brown beret, and virtual reality is used in an adaptive flight training study. Hosted by Staff Sgt. Nicholas Koetz.

  • Wellness for mission success – manage stress

    This is the second in a four-part series on how individual wellness contributes to mission success and why it’s beneficial for Reserve Citizen Airmen to preserve health, manage stress, create balance and find meaning.

  • First AFWERX storefront opens in Las Vegas

    Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson, along with guest of honor Vice President Mike Pence as well as the Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. David L. Goldfein, opened the AFWERX-Vegas storefront Jan. 11 at the Howard Hughes Center in Las Vegas.

  • Vice President Mike Pence visits Nellis AFB

    Vice President Mike Pence made his way to Las Vegas Jan. 11, 2018, to attend the grand opening of the first AFWERX facility and visit the men and women of Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada.

  • ANG supports SoCal mudslide rescue efforts

    California Air National Guardsmen from the 129th Rescue Wing are providing search and rescue support in Southern California for those impacted by the recent mudslides.

  • Flying ambulances: Aeromedical evacuation

    The morning starts early with an alert about four hours before takeoff. Members of the 379th Expeditionary Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron begin several mandatory tasks before boarding the aircraft. Nurses go over mission details, as medical technicians pack more than a thousand pounds of equipment

  • Air Force, Army, Navy personnel participate in joint training

    Members of the 41st Aerial Port Squadron and other Air Force, Army and Navy units teamed up for a joint training scenario called GRIP III Breaking Barriers Jan. 5-7, 2018, at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi and at the Gulfport Combat Readiness Training Center – Battlefield Airman Center.

  • Wellness for mission success

    Physical health is at the core of a person’s ability to complete their mission. If they are injured or sick, or exhausted, they might be able to show up and do work, but their effectiveness will be diminished.

  • EOD Airman receives Purple Heart

    More than 10 years after his injury, Tech. Sgt. Douglas Smits, 90th Civil Engineer Squadron explosive ordnance disposal team leader, received a Purple Heart medal at F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming, Jan. 5, 2018.

  • Year-end review: 386th AEW remembers banner year

    As the world celebrated the passing of another year, and looked to the future with optimistic hope, the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing, and its leadership, reflected on its accomplishments.

  • Air Force selects 63 officers, civilians for test pilot school

    The Air Force has selected 63 primary and alternate students to attend training at the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Naval, British and French test pilot schools, with classes starting next summer.The selection board met in July and considered total force officer and civilian candidates for test pilot, test

  • Around the Air Force: Dec. 20

    On this look Around the Air Force, the Silver Star Medal is awarded to a special tactics chief master sergeant, the Pacific Air Forces commander visits the Philippines and MQ-9 Reapers are used to track wildfires in southern California.

  • Military branches come together for combat training

    The 366th Fighter Wing is located in the middle of nowhere in southern Idaho, nearly an hour away from a large city. Not exactly the description of a place one would expect military forces from every U.S. service and foreign allies would be excited to visit. In reality, Mountain Home AFB’s

  • Finding the way: Special tactics chief awarded Silver Star

    Chief Master Sgt. Michael West, 24th Special Operations Wing special tactics operator, utilized 58 coalition aircraft delivering 24,000 pounds of munitions, turning the tide of battle, and now he’s receiving the Silver Star Medal.

  • ANG provides aerial imagery support for Southern California fires

    Air National Guard members from the 195th Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Group at Beale Air Force Base are providing aerial imagery support to fire departments battling fires in Southern California. The 163rd Air Attack Wing is providing video of the Thomas Fire to the 195th ISRG by

  • Total force medical team transports Sailor home

    When a 34-year-old Navy Ssailor suffered multiple traumatic injuries during a mission in Syria, a Total Force team of medical professionals and mMobility Airmen sprung into action, intent on saving the life of a fellow service member.

  • Hill AFB F-35A maintainers passing the Pacific TSP test

    Five weeks into the first F-35A Pacific Theater Security Package deployment the 34th Aircraft Maintenance Unit team is at full stride.Maintainers in the Pacific location and in Utah, home of the 34th AMU under the 388th and 419th Fighter Wings are coming together to make the first TSP a success and

  • AF awards recognize pilot excellence

    With a continued focus on solving the pilot retention problem and maintaining air dominance, Air Force senior leaders look to celebrate the culture and flying expertise of their pilots.

  • Double take: Brothers’ bond extends far beyond twin upbringing

    It is well known that twins share a unique bond that transcends other sibling relationships. It’s common for twins to live, work and recreate within close proximity to each other throughout their lives.But for one pair of Air Force twins, they’ve taken that commonality several steps further.

  • Upgrades to missile detection radar earns civilian recognition

    Dr. Donald Hoying, the radar’s program manager at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado, leads a team of 50 military and government civilians and contractors who are working to upgrade these SSMs while improving the radar’s satellite, space-borne object and missile detection capabilities. In November,

  • 25th OWS Science and Training Team awarded Thor’s Hammer Trophy

    The 25th Operational Weather Squadron Science and Training Team channeled the spirit of the ancient god as they won the inaugural Thor’s Legions Forecast Challenge and received the Thor’s hammer trophy from Lt. Gen. Mark Nowland, Air Force deputy chief of staff for operations, at the Pentagon in

  • SecAF, CSAF direct review of all Air Force programs

    Air Force senior leaders have directed a Zero-Based Review of all Air Force programs, budget accounts and associated manpower authorizations in preparation for assembling the Fiscal Year 2020 Program Objective Memorandum and Future Years Defense Plan.

  • Airman lunges for knockout debut

    A Florida native, Tech. Sgt. Andre Penn, 20th Civil Engineer Squadron unaccompanied housing manager at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina, has been preparing for more than a decade to achieve his dream of becoming a professional boxer.

  • Combat RPAs integral in defeating ISIS

    U.S. forces, coalition partners and Syrian Democratic Forces liberated Raqqah, Syria from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria’s control in early October 2017. ISIS used the city as its capital for terrorist operations since January 2014.

  • Could flying faster save the Air Force fuel?

    On a Sunday morning just outside of Anchorage, Alaska, a group of Hawaii Air National Guard fighter pilots gathered around a desk at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson to hear the day's operational briefing after three weeks of training at Red Flag Alaska.

  • First Afghan UH-60 pilots graduate

    Six Afghan Air Force members became the first ever AAF UH-60 Black Hawk pilots, after graduation from Aircraft Qualification Training during a ceremony at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, Nov. 20, 2017.

  • 386th AEW celebrates 75 years of history

    On Dec. 1, 2017, the 386th BG, now the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing, celebrates its 75th birthday; a journey that started at MacDill Air Field, Tampa, Florida, in 1942 and continues to this day at an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia.

  • Heroic "Spooky 43" aircrew receives the Mackay Trophy

    On Nov. 2, 2016, fourteen AC-130U Gunship crewmembers provided close-air-support to a U.S. Special Forces team and 43 Afghan soldiers near Kunduz, Afghanistan. The crew's persistent fire support, presence of mind and courage during two hours of intense combat ultimately saved 50 lives.

  • Hill AFB’s F-35A, Airmen mastering first Pacific deployment

    More than 300 men and women of the 388th and 419th Fighter Wings out of Hill Air Force Base, Utah and 12 F-35A Lightning IIs are conducting business for the next six months on the subtropical Japanese island of Okinawa during a deployment known as a Theater Security Package.

  • AFRL-Carroll High School iGEM team earns Gold in Boston

    A Carroll High School academic team, mentored by CHS teachers and Air Force Research Laboratory scientists, earned a gold medal at the 2017 International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) competition in Boston, Nov. 9-13, 2017.

  • AETC welcomes new commander

    Members of Air Education and Training Command gathered as the guidon was passed from Lt. Gen. Darryl Roberson to Lt. Gen. Steven Kwast, signifying the formal transfer of authority and responsibility from one commander to another in a ceremony at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Nov. 16, 2017.

  • AFGSC wraps up innovation and technology symposium

    The 2017 Air Force Global Strike Command Innovation and Technology Symposium concluded today at the Shreveport Convention Center with a focus on leadership and the Airmen who make the mission happen. Retired Command Sgt. Maj. Patrick Alston, former U.S. Strategic Command command senior enlisted

  • Airmen conduct long-range rescue of cruise passenger

    Within two hours of the call, Airmen with the 920th Rescue Wing took to the skies bound for a cruise ship roughly 500 miles off the Florida coastline carrying an elderly passenger suffering an acute condition and in need of medical evacuation Nov. 7, 2017.

  • ART of the mission: the air reserve technician

    The Air Force has a full complement of people working to accomplish the Air Force mission of fly, fight and win in air, space and cyberspace. The Air Force Reserve plays a vital role in this mission, supplying combat-ready forces to work alongside their active-duty counterparts in both wartime and

  • Mental health expands services, reaches more Airmen

    The 386th Expeditionary Medical Group, with support from the 386th Expeditionary Operation Group, expanded mental health services recently to Airmen at an undisclosed location supporting ongoing operations in Syria.

  • 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.

  • AMC commander hosts fireside chat with Airmen at A/TA symposium

    Reminiscing on heritage, taking a mission tour around the world and ending with a personal fireside chat were a few of the ways Gen. Carlton D. Everhart II, Air Mobility Command commander, addressed Airmen during the closing remarks at the 2017 Airlift/Tanker Association Symposium Oct. 28, 2017, in

  • Flying Jennies ready for combat airlift mission

    In Greek mythology, a phoenix is a bird that obtains new life by rising from the ashes. Many members of the 815th Airlift Squadron might be able to relate to this tale of renewal or resurrection, except their symbol isn’t a legendary bird, but a hard-working and practical pack mule—a Flying Jenny.In

  • USAFE WPC introduces new domed simulator

    The U.S. Air Forces in Europe Warrior Preparation Center held a ribbon cutting ceremony highlighting the delivery and operational status of the new Joint Terminal Attack Controller domed simulator Nov. 2, 2017.

  • Brother’s in life, brother’s in-arms reunite downrange

    Saying goodbye to family members before a deployment can be stressful. But rarely does a service member cross paths with a sibling while deployed downrange; this recent uplifting experience was the case for two brothers, both serving in the military on separate paths.

  • F-35 mission data programmers recognized by AF

    The 53rd Wing’s 513th Electronic Warfare Squadron was awarded the Outstanding Scientist/Engineer Team of 2017 for their work on the F-35A Lightning II Initial Operational Capability delivery at Eglin Air Force Base, Oct. 25, 2017.

  • Around the Air Force: Oct. 24

    On this look around the Air Force, Airmen from the 633rd Medical Group deploy to Puerto Rico to help with relief efforts, the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing complete their first combat mission, and Air Force medical researchers test a new tool that detects and identifies pathogens in the field.

  • 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

  • 71st Rescue Squadron brings home a win

    The 71st Rescue Squadron was presented the That Others May Live Foundation’s 2017 Rescue Squadron of the Year Award, Oct. 21, 2017, in Melbourne, Florida.

  • Reserve Citizen Airman key in Florida veterans court

    Air Force Reserve Citizen Airman Senior Master Sgt. James Salgado plays a key role in the Tampa-area Veterans Treatment Court, volunteering as lead mentor and operations director for the court which has a bi-weekly docket of nearly 100 veterans.