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U.S. Air Force News

  • Air Force reduces barriers for pregnant aviators

    Effective immediately, remotely piloted aircrew, missile operations duty crews and certain fully qualified pilots are authorized to perform their assigned duties during pregnancy without a medical waiver.

  • Joint service members team up for MEDEVAC exercise

    U.S. Army veterinarian clinical specialist worked together with emergency medical responders, sharing life-saving measures for MWDs in case of extreme emergencies where veterinary technicians might not be available.

  • Barksdale AFB bomb wings support Cobra Warrior

    The exercise featured more than 50 fighter aircraft from Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy and Israel. The large-scale exercise, based out of RAF Waddingham, United Kingdom, had aircraft flying in simultaneously to participate in peer-to-peer scenarios.

  • AFRL invents cargo aircraft tire change tool

    The 60th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, part of the Air Mobility Wing at Travis Air Force Base, California, who maintains the U. S. Air Force’s largest aircraft, the C-5M Super Galaxy, contacted the AFRL's JFWORX team seeking assistance to increase the safety and decrease the manpower requirements

  • Wright-Patterson AFB hosts 23rd Air Force Marathon

    The Air Force Marathon is a host of fitness and family events, including a 1K kid's race, a full marathon, half marathon, 10K and 5K runs, with rain delaying the start of the 10K, full and half marathons.

  • US Air Force partners with Portugal to host European Partnership Flight

    The European Partnership Flight co-hosted by U.S. Air Forces Europe and Air Forces Africa and the Portuguese air force, was a way for U.S., European and African partner nations to improve professional military knowledge and skills. Members traveled from Bulgaria, Croatia, Morocco, Poland, Romania,

  • Reserve readiness for today and the future

    The reemergence of long-term strategic and great-power competition necessitates that the Air Force Reserve grows its capabilities to meet the demands of the future operating environment while integrating with Air Education Training Command and the Air National Guard.

  • ACC discusses 16th Air Force as new information warfare NAF

    Air Combat Command will integrate 24th Air Force and 25th Air Force capabilities into a new organization under a single commander who will be responsible for providing information warfare capabilities to combatant commanders with the speed to match today’s technological environment.

  • CMSAF discusses leading with purpose

    Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force Kaleth O. Wright represents the highest enlisted level of leadership and provides direction for the enlisted force, representing their interests, as appropriate, to the American public and to those in all levels of government. Wright’s speech focused on taking care

  • 'We're your family here'

    Retired U.S. Army Capt. Katie Blanchard estimates she has undergone nearly 200 surgeries since she was burned in a workplace violence incident three years ago.

  • Columbus AFB Airmen march 100 miles to ground zero in honor of 9/11

    Capt. Matthew Carpenter, 14th Student Squadron, 14th Flying Training Wing graduation officer, and Maj. Jonathan Leetch, 41st Flying Training Squadron T-6 instructor pilot, managed the setup of this year’s march to the 9/11 Memorial, its seventh iteration, and estimated approximately 25 people

  • Air Force generals Goldfein, Brown make historic visit to Vietnam

    For Americans of a certain age like Goldfein and Brown, Vietnam remains an unshakable memory even today, 44 years after the era-defining war ended. The memory and the reactions it triggers are even more pronounced for people like Goldfein and Brown – second-generation service members whose fathers

  • Safety professionals recognized at 2019 NSC Congress and Expo

    The National Safety Council developed the Rising Stars of Safety to help highlight up-and-coming safety professionals. Winners show leadership in safety and bring new ideas to existing problems at their organizations. The Air Force is the only organization, federal or industry, which has had a

  • AFH1 phone app available now on Apple and Google Play

    The AFH1 app includes the “The Air Force Handbook 1,” and study guide, as well as Air Force Instruction 36-2618, The Enlisted Force Structure, known as the “The Little Brown Book.” There is also access to the “The Little Blue Book” which focuses on the profession of arms. Other tools such as flash

  • CMSAF emphasizes human connections at Hanscom all call

    Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force Kaleth O. Wright spoke about resilience and leadership topics during a town hall Sept. 6.More than 400 Airmen from Hanscom AFB, as well as other invited Airmen from geographically separated units, listened as Wright touched on those topics and answered questions.

  • JB Charleston begins recovery operations after Hurricane Dorian

    Recovery teams will return to the base and work to ensure JB Charleston’s facilities, infrastructure and homes are safe for the return of its service members and families. Hurricane recovery teams are expected to begin travel back to JB Charleston as soon as possible but when it is safe to do so

  • Executive order offers better access to mental health resources

    Executive Order 13822, "Supporting Our Veterans During Their Transition From Uniformed Service to Civilian Life," directs the departments of Defense, Veterans Affairs and Homeland Security "to come together and ensure we have seamless access to mental health care and suicide prevention resources for

  • Innovative approach increases polygraph efficiency

    Recognizing this directly hindered conducting polygraph examinations, the AFOSI 2nd Field Investigations Squadron Polygraph Office, Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, did something innovative about it.

  • Lighting up the runway: 386th ECES maintains flightline

    The group of Airmen jump in their truck on the side of the taxiway. While bathing in the frosty air conditioning, a C-17 Globemaster III suddenly soars past the truck from the left, and moments later, an eardrum-bursting sound roars across the bright skies of Kuwait as the hulking aircraft lifts off

  • A dark night leads to a bright career

    “We didn’t know what the area below us really looked like,” said Maj. Gen. Timothy Leahy, Second Air Force commander. “It could’ve been rolling terrain and when we hit the ground, the helicopter could’ve rolled over and burst into flames. Everyone could’ve died.”

  • Pilot Training Next graduates 14 in learning experiment's second iteration

    PTN is an experimental program under the “Learning Next” umbrella with a focus on understanding how Airmen learn, as well as exploring and potentially prototyping a flying training environment that integrates various technologies to produce pilots in an accelerated-and learning-focused manner.

  • CSAF Private Pilot Scholarship Program changing face of US aviation

    In 2018, almost half of all newly licensed female pilots between the ages of 17 and 19 were graduates of the Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps Flight Academy. This year, 150 cadets each received a scholarship from the Chief of Staff of the Air Force Scholarship Program to attend one of

  • Air Force mandates dedicated space for nursing mothers

    The policy enables commanders to support nursing mothers by outlining procedures and requirements for establishing a private, secure (lockable from the inside) and sanitary location for the purpose of breastfeeding and/or expressing breast milk.

  • DoD to begin next major phase of military hospital consolidation

    On Oct. 1, the Army, Navy and Air Force will begin the final two years of a multiyear transition to shift administration and management of their medical facilities to the Defense Health Agency, changes that are "transformational and far-reaching," said Vice Admiral Raquel Bono, DHA director.

  • Space Flag holds first exercise with coalition partners

    Space Flag 19-3 integrated approximately 160 coalition participants, observers and distinguished guests in Air Force Space Command’s “Fight Tonight” exercise focused on using current capabilities to deter, deny and disrupt adversarial actions in the space domain.

  • Military dentists thrive in joint-service training

    Appalachian Care 2019 is a unique U.S. military training mission sponsored by the Innovative Readiness Training program, which falls under the Department of Defense’s Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Reserve Integration.

  • 12th OSS egress training saves lives

    With approximately 1,200 students certified or recertified every year, the program teaches pilots how to properly egress from T-1A Jayhawk, T-6A Texan II and T-38C Talon aircraft.

  • BESPIN-AFIMSC alliance improves mission support capabilities

    BESPIN and AFIMSC are partnering to develop two mobile applications: an app connecting the military community to base events and an app to improve contractor accountability. The apps were two of the top three ideas chosen during AFIMSC’s inaugural Innovation Rodeo March 1.

  • 86th VRS rolls onto virtual highway

    Members of the 86th Vehicle Readiness Squadron at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, are doing exactly that by acquiring a new driving simulator to train Airmen that aren’t familiar with German roads and weather conditions.

  • AMC C-130 rainbow fitting inspections complete

    Thanks to early detection by Air Force Materiel Command aircraft maintenance and engineering professionals and quick implementation of a fleet-wide time compliance technical order, C-130 maintainers have inspected and verified the viability of 113 of the 123 affected aircrafts’ lower center wing

  • AFGSC professional development programs help Airmen grow

    In Air Force Global Strike Command, there are a number of programs designed to develop the understanding and knowledge of nuclear operations and critical thinking for officers, enlisted members and civilians as well as broaden their view of the mission.

  • ETDC supplying Airmen with right gear for mission

    Ali Al Salem’s ETDC, currently the second largest distribution center in the (USCENTCOM) theater of operations, is the distribution center support hub for more than 14,000 warfighters, issuing up to 100,000 items worth $56 million every six months.

  • AFCYBER presents, participates in DEF CON 27

    Throughout the four-day event, attendees could learn new skills from industry professionals, test those skills during capture-the-flag competitions, network with others, interview for jobs and test out products and simulators, among other things.

  • Little Rock AFB EOD supports Ark., surrounding states

    The Explosive Ordnance Disposal team at Little Rock Air Force Base completes countless hours of training and faces ample challenges in order to support the base and the entire state of Arkansas, as well as parts of Mississippi and Tennessee, to support a variety of military installations.

  • Joint-nation alliance meets, trains at Travis AFB

    The purpose of the group, according to Royal Australian Air Force Wing Commander Brady Cummins, Australian representative on the AFIC Management Committee, is to identify and resolve current and future interoperability challenges by leveraging collective expertise.

  • AFRL licenses second technology to local firm

    This marker, along with a second patent by Brott and his team involving infrared phosphor technology, has recently been licensed to Battle Sight Technologies, which expands to their existing collection of infrared technologies. This technology works similarly to the dials on a watch, absorbing

  • CSAF shares insight, expectations with AU students, faculty

    The purpose of Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David L. Goldfein's visit was to address the students of Air War College and Air Command Staff College as they begin their academic year, as well as speaking with the university’s faculty on development and hear their questions and concerns.

  • 419th Civil Engineers help relocate Alaskan village

    With the nearest interstate highway roughly 600 miles away, 419th CES personnel were transported to the village by helicopter. Their tools and supplies were brought in via a barge on local waterways.

  • Avionics Airman inspires young women at aviation camp

    Senior Airman Lydia Kamps, an avionics technician with the 756th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, Luke Air Force Base, Arizona, had the opportunity to return to the Experimental Aircraft Association’s GirlVenture Camp during the Oshkosh Air Show in Wisconsin as a mentor -- not just a participant.

  • Emerging technology may save Airmen’s lives

    This focus on readiness was on display Aug. 5 during a SERE exercise in Vallejo, California, which provided Airmen an opportunity to train using realistic scenarios while testing new technology.

  • Air Force Academy awarded accreditation until 2028-2029

    The final report from the HLC found the university met all of the criteria for accreditation and federal compliance requirements without comments, reaffirming its accredited status until the 2028-2029 academic year.

  • AF Week in Photos

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

  • How pilot training has changed over the years

    With senior leadership making innovation a priority, the Air Force has changed how Airmen are trained and how they become proficient at their jobs. This in turn has changed the way the Air Force develops pilots and what pilot training currently looks like.

  • FTX trains Airmen for deployed environment

    While at Quantico, the 633rd SFS members, known as defenders, sharpened their skills while conducting day and night reconnaissance operations, establishing a forward operating base, and clearing villages to acquire a specific target.

  • AFSPC rolls out new enterprise data strategy

    The command’s enterprise data strategy will provide the means to ensure greater mission success. It is a framework that integrates space enterprise data sources into a common, resilient and agile architecture optimized for space domain awareness and responsive multi-domain operations at speed and

  • AFRL’s Digital Hangar to support lifecycle management of aerospace systems

    The Air Force Research Laboratory’s “Digital Hangar,” a concept created by Dr. Rick Graves, an Air Force Research Laboratory’s design and analysis branch aerospace research engineer, is a virtual repository containing digital surrogates of aerospace systems that have been gated through rigorous

  • DoD CI, HUMINT awards showcase OSI excellence

    The competitions were judged by selection panels consisting of senior subject matter experts from across the DoD and National CI, HUMINT and security communities respectively, representing decades of experience.

  • Air Force Reserve partners with 'The Basketball Tournament'

    As a presenting partner, Air Force Reserve received premier branding at the The Basketball Tournament Wichita Regional as all eight teams wore Reserve patches on their uniforms. The Reserve also had an on-site and in-broadcast presence at every TBT venue.

  • AF first sergeants gather, train to answer CSAF Squadron Revitalization Call

    More than 210 first sergeants from across the Air Force did their part to aid the CSAF’s squadron revitalization effort, as they gathered at the I.G. Brown Training and Education Center at McGhee Tyson Air National Guard Base in Louisville, Tennessee, July 21-27, for a summit and symposium to become

  • Eglin AFB pilots receive ratings for new helicopter

    Maj. Zach Roycroft and Tony Arrington completed the five-week contracted course on the civilian counterpart to the Air Force’s new MH-139 helicopter. The helicopter will replace the Air Force’s aging UH-1N Huey.

  • 621st CRW, joint partners team up for exercise

    In this joint training exercise, approximately 125 Airmen from the 621st Contingency Response Wing teamed up with about 50 689th Rapid Port Opening Element Soldiers and five Defense Logistics Agency’s Rapid Deployment Team-Blue members to conduct Joint Task Force-Port Opening in order to bring

  • Evolution of space: 2nd SOPS celebrates GPS Block III on-orbit test

    Lockheed Martin presented the 2nd Space Operations Squadron with a GPS Block III model satellite to celebrate the successful on-orbit testing of the new GPS III satellite at Schriever Air Force Base, July 29.Staff Sgt. Joseph Wood, 2nd SOPS mission chief, said the model is a physical representation

  • Academy plays central role in developing tomorrow’s STEM leaders

    Cadets at the Air Force Academy today are immersed in hands-on STEM programs while also exposed to a broad education in the humanities and non-technical disciplines. All cadets take at least two-thirds of their coursework in a cross-disciplinary core and almost half of all their courses are in STEM

  • Air Force brings defense planning into 21st century through modern software

    For much of the defense community, the ease and functionality of modern technology is not translated to military planning systems. While cumbersome acquisitions processes, funding issues and security concerns are often valid causes, many Department of Defense processes (and any software associated

  • Yokota AB hosts 2019 Mid-Air Collision Avoidance Conference

    The conference provided 64 Japanese pilots with the unique opportunity to hear briefings from military personnel, discussing airspace boundaries, flight routes and daily operations with a singular goal in mind, to increase awareness and promote safety in the skies over Yokota AB and the surrounding

  • Simulators prepare Airmen for real-world scenarios

    “They blink, they breathe,” said Raymond Jernigan, 633rd MDG simulator operator. “Even the baby simulators have motion. They cry. I can program it to talk. They can be programmed to have physiological responses – I’ll set the vital signs.”

  • AETC welcomes new commander

    Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David L. Goldfein presided over the ceremony and emphasized the importance of the AETC mission and he commended members of the command for their efforts. He listed Pilot Training Next, force development, a campaign of learning, squadron commander school and the overhaul

  • Air Force chief scientists see Alaska as "central"

    "Alaska is home to the most amazing scientific facilities in the country, and is a very important place in terms of national defense," Joseph said. "The Arctic region is becoming increasingly important, and central to defense of our homeland."

  • Pilot Prep Program: 'Right answer for the Air Force'

    The new Air Force initiative to fill the need for military pilots was forged by Brig. Gen. Christopher M. Short, director of the Aircrew Crisis Task Force at the Pentagon. It’s one of many Total Force partnerships between the Air Force and its longtime auxiliary, CAP.

  • 435th CRS teaches offload methods in Poland

    During Aviation Rotation 19-3, a bilateral training exercise to improve joint functions between the U.S. and Polish militaries, members from the 435th Contingency Response Squadron worked to teach combat offload procedures at Powidz Air Base, Poland.

  • Kentucky Air Guard home to DoD’s only search and rescue dog

    In response to scenarios like the Haitian earthquake, Parsons spearheaded a new approach, developing the squadron’s Search and Rescue K-9 program. The effort, launched in 2018, is designed to increase the capabilities of disaster response teams in locating and recovering personnel through the use of

  • 100th surgical team completes robotic surgery training

    This milestone is significant for Keesler’s InDORSE program, showing how far the curriculum has come since the program first stood up in March 2017 with just one robot. Now, InDORSE has acquired a second robot, allowing them to train more military surgical teams across the Department of Defense as