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  • Government shutdown could affect commissaries

    In the event of a government shutdown, commissary customers are asked to check their local military installation news outlets before, during and after the event to determine if stores serving their area are open."As a matter of course, the Defense Commissary Agency plans for any event that could

  • Government Shutdown: Frequently Asked Questions

    Below are frequently asked questions about the current government shutdown (Updated: Oct. 17, 2013). If you don’t find the answer to a question you have about the government shutdown and its impact on the Air Force, post your question as a comment below. We will research and try to find the

  • Government, local agencies test emergency coordination

    In a training exercise May 8, local, state and federal government agencies proved they could work together, not only to the public, but also to each other as well. This incident was part of Alaska Shield/Northern Edge, the state's portion of an annual national training exercise designed for multiple

  • Governor of Guam signs Air Force Week proclamation

    Acting Governor of Guam Michael W. Cruz signed Proclamation No. 2007-081 Sept. 4 declaring Sept. 4 to 9 Air Force Week in Guam. In conjunction with similar events at Air Force bases worldwide, the national commemorative period for the Air Force's 60th anniversary began Oct. 14, with the dedication

  • Governors involved in Cyber Command basing process

    Air Force officials here are involving the governors and communities of 18 states interested in hosting the new Air Force Cyber Command in the basing process. Bill Anderson, the assistant secretary of the Air Force for installations, environment and logistics, sent a letter to the governors

  • Gowen Field ANGB to transition to F-16 mission

    The decision to host the F-16 mission at Gowen Field ANGB came after assessing the area’s ability to facilitate the mission and infrastructure capacity, while accounting for community support, environmental factors and cost.

  • GPS analysts bridge gap between launch, orbit

    As the Air Force continues to upgrade its most recognizable space constellation, a small team is busy testing and evaluating, and ensuring that each spacecraft is ready to begin its job of providing position, navigation, and timing to more than 3 billion worldwide users.

  • GPS helps troops locate targets, one another

    Members of the Joint Service System Management Office here provide global positioning systems-enabled technology in direct support of warfighters worldwide.Part of the 752nd Combat Sustainment Group, the JSSMO has representatives from all military branches. The unit maintains GPS receivers in the

  • GPS helps warfighters track ‘bad guys’

    When U.S. forces get to Iraq and Afghanistan, they’re finding dry, featureless terrain with no real landmarks or points of reference to use when they travel across these wide-open and often dangerous landscapes. In the past, maps and a compass were the decisive tools used by servicemembers to track

  • GPS IIF-10 successfully launched from Cape Canaveral

    The Air Force and its mission partners successfully launched the tenth Boeing-built Global Positioning System IIF satellite aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V launch vehicle from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, at 11:36 a.m. EDT.

  • GPS IIF-4 successfully launched from Cape Canaveral

    A U.S. Air Force Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite built by Boeing was successfully launched May 15. The fourth GPS IIF satellite, Space Vehicle Number (SVN) 66, was carried aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V Launch Vehicle at 5:38 p.m. EDT from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.

  • GPS IIF-5 successfully launched from Cape Canaveral

    The U. S. Air Force officials successfully launched the fifth Global Positioning System (GPS) IIF satellite carried aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta IV launch vehicle at 8:59 p.m. EST from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., Feb. 20.

  • GPS III launch services proposal request released

    The Air Force released a final request for proposal on Global Positioning System III launch services Sept. 30 to cover launch vehicle production, mission integration and launch operations for the satellite mission set to start in 2018. Proposals are due back to the Air Force by Nov. 16 in accordance

  • GPS jamming no 'silver bullet' for potential adversaries

    Iraq and other potential adversaries may have the ability to jam global positioning system signals, but Air Force war planners are not too worried about the effect of jamming on precision munitions.In fact, it is a challenge they have been anticipating for a long time, and they are confident in

  • GPS registers most accurate signal yet

    On April 25, the Air Force’s GPS registered its most accurate signal yet, according to the Aerospace Corporation, which has been monitoring the data since 2002.

  • GPS satellite achieves 20 years in orbit

    Space Vehicle Number 23, Global Positioning System constellation, is a testament to how Air Force officials continue to meet and exceed their operational requirements with GPS.GPS Block IIA-10 (SVN-23), built by Boeing (formerly Rockwell Corporation), was launched Nov. 26, 1990, and set healthy to

  • GPS satellite blasts off from Cape Canaveral

    A Delta II launch vehicle carried a Global Positioning System satellite nearly 11,000 miles above Earth from here Nov. 6.The satellite replaces one of 24 in the constellation that experts call the most accurate navigation aid ever for U.S. warfighters. The constellation provides continuous, precise

  • GPS satellites help outdoor hobbyists link up

    The coordinates N 47 degrees 12.595 W 110 degrees 55.990 mean very little to most people, but to a group of hunters know as “geocachers,” it is the beginning of an adventure that starts on a nearby mountainside and ends with a hidden treasure in the belly of a state park.Geocaching is a sport where

  • GPS set to launch on History Channel

    Is GPS a modern marvel? A three-person film crew from Actuality Productions visited the base Oct. 30 to find out. The crew visited the 2nd Space Operations Squadron here and interviewed 2nd SOPS Commander Lt. Col. Kurt Kuntzelman for an upcoming episode of the History Channel's "Modern Marvels" TV

  • GPS signal enhances navigation, timing

    Warfighters now have a new way to receive Global Positioning System location and timing data -- online. The 2nd Space Operations Squadron here is delivering Zero Age of Data Navigation Message Replacements, or ZAOD NMR, on the Secure Internet Protocol Router Network. The first end user of this new

  • GPS Wing accepts first specialized GPS receiver cards

    Officials at Rockwell Collins successfully delivered 21 developed prototype ground-based GPS receiver application module modernized receiver cards developed under the Global Positioning Systems Wing's Receiver Card Development program. These GB-GRAM-M receiver cards recently have completed the

  • GPS: A generation of service to the world

    Nearly 40 years ago, the Air Force launched the first GPS satellite, dubbed Navstar. But even the most visionary of those people involved with the first launch probably couldn’t have guessed how much GPS would eventually impact the world.

  • GPS-driven dropsondes improve airdrop accuracy

    An emerging technology is making airdrops around the world more accurate. Called dropsondes, they not only improve aircrew capabilities, they also keep troops safe downrange. "A dropsonde is merely a meteorological device that we use to collect weather information from the altitude of the plane to

  • Grad to take Academy experiment into space

    An Air Force Academy graduate will pilot the Space Shuttle Endeavour and carry an Air Force Academy physics experiment into space. Endeavour is scheduled to launch April 29 at 3:47 p.m. EDT from Cape Canaveral for NASA's STS-134 mission. Piloting the crew of STS-134 is retired Col. Gregory H.

  • Graduate program offers advanced tools for terror war

    A one-of-a-kind curriculum offered here at the Naval Postgraduate School is helping shape future leaders for the challenges they will confront in the war on terrorism.Unlike some academic programs with seemingly little real-life application, the Defense Analysis program focuses on issues commanders

  • Graham, Leahy: National Guard an irreplaceable treasure

    The National Guard is a treasure that brings irreplaceable skills to domestic support, to civil authorities and to overseas operations, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham told fellow senators and senior Guard leaders here March 3."A Guard unit can do more in Afghanistan and Iraq than almost anyone,

  • Grand challenge showcases unmanned vehicle technology

    Enthusiasm is building at California Motor Speedway in Fontana, Calif., as more than 20 unmanned ground vehicles prepare to face off against the clock March 13, while navigating 200 miles of rugged terrain.The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Grand Challenge will pit an array of innovative

  • Grand Forks AFB Airmen welcome Global Hawk

    Airmen celebrated the arrival of the RQ-4 Global Hawk during a ceremony here June 1.The ceremony highlighted the beginning of a new era of remotely piloted aircraft here."It is an honor to be here; what a great day for Grand Forks (Air Force Base) and North Dakota -- this is cutting edge

  • Grand Forks AFB to lead future ISR missions

    The Department of the Air Force announced today it will conduct infrastructure planning in 2022 for construction and renovation projects at Grand Forks Air Force Base, North Dakota, projected to begin in 2023.

  • Grand Forks CGOA recognized as best in Air Force

    The Grand Forks Air Force Base Company Grade Officer Association was selected as the CGO Council of the Year, May 5, during the CGOA Professional Development Conference in San Francisco.The Grand Forks AFB CGOA competed against more than 70 other CGOA councils from around the Air Force to win the

  • Grand Forks communicators start 2 major base projects

    The 130-person 319th Communications Squadron here is busy preparing Grand Forks Air Force Base for two critical information technology projects for the base and the entire Air Force.One project is for the High Frequency Global Communications System is a highly-automated communications system that

  • Grand Forks EO director named top in AF

    The U.S. Air Force named Tech. Sgt. Tomeka Parker of the 319th Air Base Wing as the Solomon Starks Jr. Equal Opportunity Director of the Year for 2011.Parker arrived in Grand Forks in November 2010 and single-handedly filled a two-person EO office assignment responsible for more than 1,300 Airmen

  • Grand Forks NCO named top AF defender

    A member of the 319th Security Forces Squadron from Grand Forks Air Force Base was selected as the Air Force Outstanding Security Forces Flight Level NCO for 2015 Jan. 8.

  • Grand Forks officer selected for Mansfield Fellowship Program

    An officer with the 348th Reconnaissance Squadron at Grand Forks Air Force Base, North Dakota will soon be making his way from the Land of the Sunflake to the Land of the Rising Sun after being accepted for one of the world's most prestigious international fellowship programs.

  • Grand Forks refueling squadron to deactivate

    Grand Forks Air Force Base officials are scheduled to deactivate the 912th Air Refueling Squadron March 20 here as part of the Base Realignment and Closure law of 2005.  The squadron's final KC-135 Stratotanker flight out of Grand Forks AFB is scheduled for March 16. "It has been an honor and

  • Grand Forks squadron named best small comm unit in AF

    The members of the 319th Communications Squadron have an extra reason to walk a little taller after recently being named the best small communications unit in the Air Force.The cyber warriors of the 319th CS won the 2013 Air Force Information Dominance Small Unit Award at the Air Force level.

  • Grand Forks, Eielson key to Air Force Future Total Force

    If the Base Realignment and Closure recommendations released in May are approved, Grand Forks Air Force Base, N.D., and Eielson AFB, Alaska, will see some changes. Both bases will play a strategic role in the Air Force's Future Total Force plan.Grand Forks received the highest BRAC score for

  • Grandson of Enola Gay pilot flies refurbished B-29

    Wichita’s beloved B-29 Superfortress, Doc, took to the skies yet again June 9, 2017, from McConnell Air Force Base, this time with an added aspect of historical significance and Air Force heritage.Sitting in the co-pilot seat was Brig. Gen. Paul Tibbets IV, the 509th Bomb Wing commander. Taking

  • Granite Thunder 2005 rocks New Boston

    A van lies on its side at the edge of a road where two men sprint from the scene into the nearby woods. As a figure lies motionless in the grass beside the van, an ear-piercing explosion suddenly rocks the vehicle, shrouding it and the unknown figure in smoke. Debris arcs high into the air before

  • Grant approved for burn victim research

    A major improvement is coming in the field of dermatology and plastic surgery, specifically in the recovery and care for wounded warrior burn victims."As I've studied cosmetic improvement in burn victims, I've noticed more improvements in the range of motion than in the cosmetics because the scars

  • Gravy train

    Col. Steve Cameron, commander of the 412th Test Wing here, pours gravy for a diner at the wing's annual Turkey Day festivities. Hundreds of volunteers took time out to bake and serve the traditional Thanksgiving meal to more than 1,000 airmen and base people. (Photo by Phil Kocurek)

  • 'Gray Eagle' awards presented to longest-serving pilots

    Just minutes after airmen deployed for Operation Iraqi Freedom began the highly anticipated "shock and awe" attack on Baghdad on March 21, Air Force leaders paused to pay tribute to two of the service's longest-serving pilots.Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Richard B. Myers and Maj. Gen.

  • Great American Smokeout battles wage

    "D-Day" usually evokes memories of the World War II battle on the beaches of Normandy, but the term also generally applies to the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. It make sense then that the first Great American Smokeout observation in the 1970s was called "D Day,"

  • 'Great American Smokeout' draws attention to health risks of smoking

    The 29th annual American Cancer Society "Great American Smokeout" Nov. 16 gives military members and Defense Department civilians a chance to pause before lighting up and reflect that smoking poses significant risks to their health.Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death, said Dr. David N.

  • Great idea saves Air Force money

    A little common sense can go a long way, and a pneudrolics mechanic here has the $10,000 check to prove it.“I think in common sense circles; like ‘what if we just did this, would it make a difference,’” said Kent Johnson, of the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center’s fuel accessories shop. “Sometimes

  • Greater access to pay information through E/MSS

    The Defense Finance and Accounting Service Employee/Member Self-Service system has been expanded to allow greater access to pay information and more changes to pay records.The new enhancements provide more options to employees, are user-friendly, and help give employees more control over their pay

  • Greatest generation honored during wreath laying, AF band concert

    As the sun began to set over the National Capitol Region, several hundred people gathered at the Air Force Memorial with the District of Columbia-city landscape as the backdrop to witness a wreath-laying event, followed by a concert performed by the United States Air Force Band Aug. 14.

  • Greece, US plan for successful air training

    They had been in the room for nearly six hours. The planners scoured the map of Greece, searching for just the right area to place an enemy missile defense system, or an enemy airfield, or one of hundreds of other highly defended military targets

  • Greek, US training reaffirms rock-solid friendship

    With the White Mountains of Crete as their backdrop, U.S. and Hellenic air forces F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter aircraft soared to great heights and speeds as part of a continuing flying training deployment (FTD) Jan. 16 through Feb. 13 at Souda Bay, Greece.

  • Green businesses sprouting at closed former California Air Force bases

    It may be counterintuitive to think of Environmental Protection Agency Superfund sites as hotbeds of green technology. But as Air Force Real Property Agency representatives -- responsible for buying, selling and managing Air Force property worldwide -- continue cleaning, restoring and transferring

  • Green Dot to roll out across the Air Force

    Airmen will take the first step of a five-year strategy to decrease interpersonal violence across the service in January when 1,500 Airman implementers attend one of 22 Green Dot prep sessions worldwide.

  • Green Dot training prompts suicide intervention

    An Air Force Life Cycle Management Center program manager at Hanscom Air Force Base credits her efforts to help a woman she worried was suicidal to Green Dot training she received.

  • Green Flag provides Italian air force new insight on close air support

    Italian airmen sharpened their close-air-support skills in realistic combat conditions here during their first-ever exercise appearance at Green Flag West Aug. 9 through 20. Nearly 180 Italian airmen from four different squadrons comprised the "Reparto Autonomo Volo," or Autonomous Flying Wing, at

  • Green Flag: Preparing for Close Air Support

    Since the 1980s, the United States of America has been crowned with air superiority by using the F-15E Strike Eagle’s dual-role fighter capabilities in air-to-air and air-to-ground missions.Preparing for those scenarios that happen down-range requires cooperation from both pilots and joint terminal

  • Green Flag-West readies B-1 aircrews for future deployments

    Airmen from the 9th Bomb Squadron participated in a Green Flag-West exercise May 17-31, at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., in order to prepare for future deployments.Green Flag-West is an exercise that provides units training on a scale not available near their home stations. It replicates irregular

  • Green Lightning exercise strengthens U.S., Australian ties

    Two B-52 Stratofortress bombers of the 23rd Expeditionary Bomb Squadron completed a long-range training sortie from Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, to Australia's Delamere Air Weapons Range in the Northern Territory Oct. 24. This "Green Lightning" sortie is only the second of its kind, continuing a

  • Green Lightning tests Pacific bomber force

    B-2 Stealth bombers, KC-10 Extenders and support personnel are participating in a new exercise here.Exercise Green Lightning is designed to improve the U.S. capabilities and operational familiarity in the region for the Pacific bomber presence and enhance relations with the Australians. "The United

  • Grey Wolf begins testing

    The Air Force’s newest helicopter, the MH-139A Grey Wolf, completed its first combined test flight, Feb. 11.

  • Gridlock technology brings coordinates to warfighters

    Gridlock, or precision Geo-registration of Imagery from Airborne Platforms, provides a machine-to-machine capability for military imagery interpreters that can do in one minute what a targeteer, or target designator, would take between 20 minutes to never to accomplish.This technology for tomorrow’s

  • Grissom doctors moonlight for NASA

    Two Reserve doctors from Grissom Air Reserve Base have front row seats for space shuttle takeoffs and landings to help astronauts in case of emergencies. Lt. Col. (Dr.) Scott Phillips or Maj. (Dr.) Greg Pinnell, both from the 434th Aerospace Medicine Squadron here, work for NASA as part of a

  • Grit and determination: AFSOC Airmen slide with Team USA bobsled

    Two Airmen within Air Force Special Operations Command were selected to compete with the USA Bobsled team this year. Capt. Dakota Lynch, a 34th Special Operations Squadron U-28A pilot, and Capt. Chris Walsh, a 24th Special Operations Wing special tactics officer, are push athletes who are ultimately

  • Grone: BRAC 2005 important for many reasons

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

  • Ground combat skills prepare Airmen for base survival

    As the desert sun beat down on the deployed Airmen, Staff Sgt. Stacy Miller crawled along the ground, digging her helmet and face into the sand as she pushed her body along the barren ground. At one point during the low-crawl, she actually tasted sand, grittiness and all. An information management

  • Ground commander lauds land troops' success in Iraq

    Coalition forces are nearing the end of combat operations, but the campaign will continue, the chief of coalition land forces said during an interview from Baghdad.In a videoconferenced briefing with Pentagon reporters, Army Lt. Gen. David McKiernan said the ground campaign against the regime of

  • Ground equipment Airmen keep aircraft aloft

    It’s the minute details of tasks that make what Airmen do so vital to accomplishing their missions. For the Aerospace Ground Equipment (AGE) flight, these details have a profound impact on flightline operations each day.

  • Ground equipment Airmen show benefits of AFSO 21

    In March 2006 when former Secretary of the Air Force Michael W. Wynne called for a new way to evaluate how the Air Force operates, called Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st Century, or AFSO 21, he encouraged the elimination of unnecessary steps in any work process. He suggested Air Force people

  • Ground incident report released

    The Failure of two hinge blades connecting sections of a portable tower caused it and a 470-pound camera mounted on top of the tower to collapse into a building at Bolling Air Force Base, D.C., on Dec. 23, Air Force officials said Aug. 19.The camera fell through the metal roof of the Joint Air

  • Ground pounders

    Air Force heavy equipment operators from the 823rd Red Horse Squadron compact gravel while building a taxiway at a forward-deployed location. Squadron airmen are working around-the-clock to build a taxiway and support ramps more than a mile long to increase capacity for heavy aircraft. (Photo by

  • Ground radar techs enable control of tactical air battlespace

    Precision and attention to even the slightest detail is crucial when you're responsible for maintaining ground radar systems. Providing 24-hours-a-day support, Airmen in the 727th Expeditionary Air Control Squadron's ground radar shop ensure Balad's ground radar systems work flawlessly. "Our job is

  • Ground system adds more bandwidth to cluttered airspace

    The installation of a first-of-its-kind aeronautical telemetry ground system at the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School here is improving aircraft communication in airspace already jumbled by frequencies from cell phones and satellite television.  This technology expands communications capability

  • Ground testing for F-35 gun conducted at Edwards AFB

    The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Integrated Test Force is in the process of testing the F-35A Lightning II’s newest munitions asset, a four-barrel Gatling gun that fires 25 mm rounds known as the GAU-22/A.

  • Ground, flight tests yield zero interference for interrogator system

    Overseas ground and flight testing on a NATO Airborne Warning and Control System recently demonstrated that a prototype waveform designed to better distinguish friendly forces from foes did not interfere with European civilian air traffic control. This paves the way for 635th Electronic Systems

  • Grounded, but governing the sky

    While F-15 Eagles and F-16 Fighting Falcons take off from Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, for one of the many Cooperative Cope Thunder exercise scenarios, Japanese and Australian weapons control officers sit side by side viewing and controlling the sky.To do so, the controllers use a computer-based

  • Groundwork begins for Reagan Memorial

    A groundbreaking ceremony symbolized the beginning of construction for the Ronald W. Reagan Memorial Aug. 29 here. The memorial, set to be completed around Jan. 17, will replace the existing on-base launch viewing site at Del Punta. It was designed by Bobby Woods, an architect from Arizona, who

  • Group chops away at space system’s weaknesses

    Several times a year, a group of junior U.S. military officers and federal government employees use open source databases -- such as the Internet and libraries -- in an attempt to reveal potential weaknesses in the Department of Defense's space systems. More often than not, participants in the Space

  • Group develops C-5 grease

    A low-cost, multipurpose grease developed by Air Force Research Laboratory technicians has received a positive evaluation from Air Force maintainers. The evaluation follows nearly 1,529 airframe hours, which adds up to roughly 11 months of operation, on the C-5 Galaxy aircraft.Equipment specialists

  • Group explains re-employment rights

    Bobby Hollingsworth calls it “closing the loop.”He is the executive director of the National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, commonly referred to as ESGR. He is referring to how that organization is taking its message to members of the National Guard and other reservists,

  • Group helps educators reach out to ‘suddenly military' children

    Because of the high number of National Guardsmen and reservists fighting the war on terrorism, the Military Child Education Coalition has created a program to teach educators and others how to help "suddenly military" children of deployed citizen Soldiers.The coalition established a workshop called

  • Group helps military families take flight

    While on patrol in northern Iraq last year, Army Spc. Kevin Hardin of Jupiter, Fla., was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade. He suffered injuries to his hands and arms. As a result, some of his fingers were amputated. Shrapnel penetrated his skull, leaving inoperable injuries. Twenty surgeries later,

  • Group honors Air Force engineers

    Thirteen Air Force members will be honored for their achievements during the 17th Annual Black Engineer of the Year Awards Conference Feb. 13 to 15 in Baltimore.The conference is sponsored by Career Communications Group, which was founded to promote significant minority achievement in engineering,

  • Group investigates Air Force sexual assault policies

    Several members of a working group created by the secretary of the Air Force to review the service's sexual assault policies began gathering information here Feb. 19.Dr. James G. Roche recently directed the Air Force's general counsel to lead the group looking at how the service deals with sexual

  • Group members dedicate camp to fallen hero

    Members of the 738th Air Expeditionary Advisory Group at Kandahar Air Wing dedicated their camp recently at a ceremony to honor the life of Maj. Charles Ransom. Major Ransom was assigned to the 738th AEAG when he died as a result of wounds received from enemy gunfire at the Afghan air force base

  • Group mission inactivates at Keflavik, Iceland

    The 85th Group, a tenant unit at Naval Air Station, Keflavik, Iceland, marked 55 years of heritage and cooperation during an inactivation ceremony there June 28. "From fighters to helicopters, AWACS to tankers, NAS Keflavik has seen almost every aircraft in the U.S. Air Force inventory transitioned

  • Group reflects on OIF mission one year later

    March 27 holds special meaning for people of the 86th Contingency Response Group; it marks an accomplishment they made during Operation Iraqi Freedom.Last year on that day, 20 Airmen from the 86th CRG parachuted into northern Iraq along with more than 1,000 Soldiers from the 173rd Airborne Brigade

  • Group rescues man at sea

    A medical emergency at sea turned into a dramatic humanitarian mission for the 920th Rescue Group here Dec. 8. The emergency also provided the unit its first chance to use a new satellite-based tracking and communications system during a rescue.Crews from Air Force Reserve Command's 920th RQG was