HomeNews

NATO Air Policing operations

U.S. Air Force News

  • AF colonel encourages 'caged' drivers to watch out for bikers

    Col. Dana Morel knows the dangers of motorcycle riding as well as anyone.A biker herself, Morel was a lieutenant at Mather Air Force Base, Calif., in 1986 when a young airman she knew with the base honor guard took off speeding one night. Distraught over the end of a romance, he missed a turn and

  • AF colonel to oversee Colorado wildfire response

    A National Guard dual-status commander has been recently appointed to support wildfire response and relief efforts in Colorado, according to Defense Department and National Guard officials.Air Force Col. Peter J. Byrne -- director of the joint staff, Joint Force Headquarters-Colorado -- was selected

  • AF commercials begin filming

    Air Force officials want potential recruits to know “we’ve been waiting for you.”That is the message of four new commercials under production at various locations in California.In filming May 19, three Airmen from Los Angeles Air Force Base, Calif., floated for seven hours with the aid of cable

  • AF committing 2,000 airmen to war

    Airmen vulnerable to deploy as part of the Silver Air and Space Expeditionary Force but not originally asked to go, could end up going after all. In a message sent to the major commands in late December, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John P. Jumper said continuing efforts in the war on terrorism

  • AF competes in second 'Cyber Flag'

    24th Air Force, the U.S. Air Force's cyber component to U.S. Cyber Command, took part in the Cyber Flag 13-1 training exercise at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. Oct. 29-Nov. 8.USCYBERCOM designed Cyber Flag to bring together Department of Defense cyber and information technology professionals to hone

  • AF concludes military transfer case photo investigation

    The investigation of the 345th Training Squadron's Air Transportation Course class graduation photograph concluded recently.Members of the 37th Training Group who were involved in the photo received administrative actions documenting that their conduct brought discredit to both the military and

  • AF conducts massive protected MILSATCOM test

    The Air Force concluded a six-month rigorous and complex multiservice operational test and evaluation of its Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF)system in January at Schriever Air Force Base, Colorado.

  • AF connects ISR Airmen with industry leaders

    Air Force Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance leaders hosted an industry day Feb. 2, 2018, at the National Reconnaissance Office to discuss needs for future warfare. Airmen analysts presented many of the needs themselves.

  • AF considers new uniform

    Air Force officials are considering an Air Force-distinctive uniform to replace the current battle dress uniform, according to service officials.A fit and wear test of the uniform is pending, officials said. The test will determine the best direction to respond to Air Force needs for a 21st century

  • AF contingency response wing supports Army exercise

    Airmen from the 621st Contingency Response Wing worked with Soldiers from Fort Wainwright, Alaska, to load 10 AH-64 Apache helicopters and two Stryker armored vehicles in extreme cold weather during the Rapid Alaska Airlift Week exercise Dec. 10-16.

  • AF continues hurricane relief effort in Jackson

    After more than a week of 24-hour search and rescue operations from here, HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters switched to flying day missions Sept. 8.But the 347th Expeditionary Rescue Group -- with elements from six active-duty, Guard and Reserve units -- has not finished its vital mission, said Capt.

  • AF continues to work with DOD, OPM on cybersecurity incident

    The Air Force maintains its commitment to protect personal information from cyber threats by continuing efforts with the Defense Department and the Office of Personnel Management to assist those impacted by the recent cyber incident involving federal background investigation data.

  • AF convenes officer RIF board, offers voluntary separation pay

    The Air Force will convene an officer reduction in force board June 16 to evaluate eligible officers for retention, Air Force Personnel Center officials said Jan. 27. Officers who meet the RIF board and are not selected for retention must separate by Jan. 31, 2015.RIF is among several fiscal 2014

  • AF couple takes journey to US citizenship

    The Air Force affords its Airmen a plethora of opportunities and benefits; many advance their education and obtain degrees, skills are learned and can often be applied in future careers -- but for some, their service can grant them U.S. citizenship.

  • AF creates personnel system team

    The Air Force has formed a team to implement the Defense Department’s most dramatic civilian personnel system transformation in the last 50 years.The National Security Personnel System gives DOD managers the flexibility to place civilian workers where they are needed most, without delay. It reduces

  • AF CSA travel card transitions to GTC

    The terms and conditions for the Air Force's travel charge card are changing, but Airmen can hang on to their blue cards. From Aug. 7 through the end of September, the Air Force Banking Office will e-mail some 300,000 Airmen, informing them that their controlled spend account card will convert back

  • AF cyclists ride the world's longest bicycle tour

    A group of four cyclists from Scott Air Force Base left July 20, to participate in the 40th Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa, July 22 to 28. RAGBRAI is the oldest, largest and longest bicycle touring event in the world and has been a tradition for U.S. Air Force members for 13 years

  • AF declares the F-35A ‘combat ready’

    The F-35A Lightning II fifth-generation fighter aircraft was declared ‘combat ready’ by Gen. Hawk Carlisle, the commander of Air Combat Command, Aug 2.

  • AF defenders, SKorea soldiers train to fend off opposing forces

    Defending the men and women of Osan Air Base is one challenge to the 51st Security Forces Squadron, but defending an entire country is quite another. To bring a force multiplier to the table, the 51st SFS defenders trained with South Korean army special operations forces during a training scenario

  • AF delivers Iraqi F-16s for training in US

    For more than 65 years the Air Force has embraced the concept of flexibility being the key to airpower. Now Airmen from the Arizona Air National Guard are sharing that capacity to find creative ways to overcome problems with one of the Air Force's newest allies – the Iraqi air force.

  • AF dentist, Army veterinarian team up for K-9 root canal

    In a deployed environment, adequate medical care is crucial to ensuring that people can execute the mission. Airmen need to be physically and mentally healthy or the mission could suffer. The 386th Expeditionary Medical Group boasts a medical clinic, physical therapist, mental health team and dental

  • AF dependent recognized as 2014 Military Child of Year

    An 18-year-old Air Force dependent from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, was recognized for his achievements and dedication to service at the Operation Homefront’s Military Child of the Year Awards gala at the Crystal Gateway Marriot here, April 10.

  • AF deploys remaining MAFFS to fight fires

    Beginning Saturday, June 30, eight military C-130 aircraft, each equipped with the U.S. Forest Service's Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System (MAFFS) will be operating out of Peterson Air Force Base, Colo., to assist with firefighting efforts in the Rocky Mountain Region.Two MAFFS-equipped C-130s

  • AF dermatologist uses laser to treat wounded warrior scars

    Maj. (Dr.) Chad Hivnor, chief of pediatric dermatology at Wilford Hall Medical Center here, is using a new fractional laser to treat battle scars on troops injured in operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. "The laser softens the texture of the scars," said Doctor Hivnor. "We are following

  • AF director of staff visits hometown schools

    As a child growing up in the shadow of Yankee Stadium, the recently designated Air Force director of staff said he wanted to be Mickey Mantle. When he returned to his old neighborhood Feb. 9, he told the children at Sacred Heart Grammar School he was proud to serve his country in the military

  • AF discusses game-changing technologies during defense innovation hearing

    The Air Force’s pursuit of game-changing technologies and the need to attract and retain talented science, technology, engineering, and mathematics professionals were at the center of discussions during a hearing on defense innovation before the House Armed Services Committee’s subcommittee on

  • AF displays experimental engine

    Using automotive technology and a little bit of “magic,” researchers at the Air Force Research Laboratory’s propulsion directorate demonstrated their latest experiment at the Experimental Aircraft Association’s AirVenture air show here.For years, propulsion researchers around the world have searched

  • AF doc and 'trauma team' use cutting edge device to save patient

    Doctors from San Antonio Military Medical Center here saved a young mother's life last month using cutting-edge technology historically reserved for infants and young children.The case marked the first time the medical center has treated an adult with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, or ECMO, a

  • AF doctor leads medical team in Belize

    Lt. Col. (Dr.) Steven Acevedo found himself tasked as the lead for a team of medical providers during the New Horizons Belize 2014 medical readiness training exercise, in the southern Toledo district in Belize. In Belize, Acevedo and his team of doctors, nurses, technicians and educators from

  • AF doctor's persistence leads to diagnosis of rare disease

    A young patient at San Antonio Military Medical Center-South, or Wilford Hall Medical Center, has been diagnosed with a rare disease that mainly affects African American females recently. Lakeshia Blueitt, 17-year-old daughter of retired Master Sgt. Curtis Blueitt, started experiencing major changes

  • AF doctors use virtual reality to treat PTSD

    Mental health therapists and social workers at the David Grant USAF Medical Center at Travis Air Force Base, Calif., are currently using a virtual reality program to treat servicemembers who suffer from post traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, after returning from combat operations. "PTSD is an

  • AF downed by Utah in basketball conference home opener

    Unable to overcome a 54 percent shooting effort by the Utes, the Air Force Academy women’s basketball team fell, 97-47, to visiting University of Utah here Jan. 20. With the loss, the Falcons fall to 0-2 in the Mountain West Conference (5-10 overall), while the Utes (14-4 overall) remain undefeated

  • AF drops 50,000 plus gallons of retardant on Colorado fires

    More than 50,000 gallons of fire retardant was dropped by Air Force aerial firefighting aircraft June 25 on wildland fires burning throughout Colorado's West Fork Complex.Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System-equipped C-130s from both the Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard performed 18 drops

  • AF drops emergency relief to isolated Afghan village

    Air Force cargo aircraft dropped 11,840 pounds of rice, oil, blankets and other emergency relief supplies Feb. 9 to a village in central Afghanistan that was isolated when roads were closed due to excessive snow. At the request of the Afghan government, an Air Force C-130 Hercules flown by an Alaska

  • AF duo key to Army medical aid in Honduras

    Medical readiness training exercises, military partnership engagements and mobile surgical team deployments have been the backbone of Joint Task Force-Bravo’s humanitarian mission in Central America for the past 23 years and have touched the lives of hundreds of thousands of people, built partner

  • AF earns top DOD environmental awards

    Two Air Force units have been recognized as the best in the Department of Defense at being "green."The 673rd Air Base Wing, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, and the 78th Civil Engineer Group, Robins Air Force Base, Ga., were among the winners of the 2013 Secretary of Defense Environmental

  • AF Ebola support winds down

    After more than four months of continuous airlift support to Operation United Assistance, the U.S. Air Force is winding down efforts in Senegal, Monrovia and Liberia.

  • AF emergency managers emphasize planning during National Preparedness Month

    September is National Preparedness Month and the Air Force Civil Engineer Center is leading the charge for servicewide participation. With a theme of "Don't wait. Communicate. Make your emergency plan today," this year's focus is on emergency planning, to include development of evacuation plans and

  • AF encourages Airmen to be key part of SAPR solution

     In an effort to address the growing concern of sexual assault in the Air Force, the service has kicked off an initiative to give Airmen the capability for their voice to be clearly heard called "Every Airman Counts." "I believe Airmen are a key part of the solution to this," said. Maj. Gen.

  • AF energy chief 'service to America' finalist

    The nonprofit Partnership for Public Service announced their 2013 Samuel J. Heyman Service to America medalists, which included a senior Air Force official. Dr. Kevin Geiss, Air Force deputy assistant secretary for energy, was recognized as a finalist May 7 on Washington's Capitol Hill. The

  • AF 'Energy Horizons' paper

    The Air Force's Energy Horizons paper was released Feb. 9 and describes how the Service plans to increase energy supply, reduce demand and change the culture to meet mission requirements.Energy Horizons, which was signed Jan. 25, is the Air Force vision for energy science and technology focusing on

  • AF energy initiatives increase mission readiness

    The Air Force’s top leaders for energy programs highlighted strides the Air Force has taken in energy conservation, and discussed innovative ideas that will lead to even more cost and energy savings, during the Air Force Association’s monthly breakfast Oct. 8, in Arlington, Virginia.

  • AF energy leader touts Airmen success stories

    The Air Force’s top energy expert said people are the key to success in driving down energy use, saving money and improving mission performance during the Air Force Association’s monthly breakfast in Arlington, Va., Oct 23.

  • AF engineers create thermal control system for space use

    Air Force Research Laboratory engineers here have successfully integrated two existing technologies to create a thermal emission management system suitable for space use. Achieving operationally responsive space capabilities requires versatile satellites that can adapt as needed to accomplish

  • AF engineers log record-breaking accelerated engine test

    A highly successful accelerated mission test (AMT) of Pratt & Whitney's F135 conventional take-off and landing/carrier variant (CTOL/CV) engine was recently completed in the Sea Level 3 test cell (SL-3) at the Arnold Engineering Development Center.

  • AF engineers repair runway in Iraq

    The 1st Expeditionary Civil Engineer Group arrived in northern Iraq to conduct a reconnaissance mission for what would become a historic undertaking. Their mission: mitigate runway damage caused by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

  • AF envisions smaller force to preserve readiness

    Discussing upcoming budgetary variables during a Pentagon news conference today, the Air Force's top civilian leader for the past six months addressed the inevitability of a smaller force.

  • AF EOD mission completed in Afghanistan

    From the front lines, explosive ordnance disposal Airmen have been clearing the way during Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom for the past 12 years, providing safe passage for all other warriors to follow.

  • AF EOD techs train Afghan border police

    Afghan Border Police explosive ordinance disposal technicians are one step closer to being qualified after a joint training validation event with U.S. Air Force EOD technicians, Feb. 5.Being validated will allow the ABP to receive more equipment to train more technicians, and respond safely to

  • AF establishes full-time presence in Poland

    U.S. officials praised the long-standing relationship with Poland as they celebrated the first full-time U.S. military presence in that nation yesterday.During a ceremony at Lask Air Base, located about 100 miles southwest of Warsaw, U.S. Air Force personnel flew the American flag, marking the

  • AF excepts civilians affected by tornadoes from furlough

    The Air Force announced Monday, June 3, that civilian employees whose homes were destroyed or rendered uninhabitable by the recent Oklahoma tornadoes will be "excepted" from administrative furlough.While most Air Force civilian employees received their notices May 28, Tinker Air Force Base delayed

  • AF expands Career Intermission Program opportunities

    The Air Force has changed the Career Intermission Program to expand participation opportunities for Airmen from one application window each year to three. In addition, Airmen with humanitarian circumstances may submit out-of-cycle CIP applications, as can dual-military married Airmen when a join

  • AF expands drug testing to include abused prescription drugs

    The Air Force and other military services will expand their drug testing to include testing for commonly abused prescription drugs beginning May 1, 2012.On Jan. 31, 2012, the Secretary of Defense gave a 90-day advance notice of the drug testing expansion which aims to counter the nation's growing

  • AF Expeditionary Center wraps up wargame

    Approximately 65 air mobility experts wrapped up participation in Air Mobility Command's Global Mobility Wargame 2012 at the U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Center here. Subject-matter experts throughout the Air Force, AMC and many other organizations involved in defense planning conduct GLOMO

  • 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

  • AF extends Health Professions Loan Repayment Program

    Application packages for the Air Force’s Health Professions Loan Repayment Program will now be accepted until Sept. 1, 2017. Active-duty Biomedical Sciences Corps and Nurse Corps officers are eligible to apply.

  • AF extends navigator application deadline

    The deadline for all officers interested in applying for navigator training has been extended to Jan. 10. Officials moved the Air Force Undergraduate Flying Training Selection Board date to Jan. 24-27, which selects officers for pilot, navigator and air battle manager training, because of an

  • AF extends Post-9/11 GI Bill benefit transfer phase-in period

    Some Airmen will be able to transfer all or a portion of their Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits to their family members without incurring a four-year active duty service commitment thanks to a program phase-in extension implemented this month.When initially implemented, the Post-9/11 GI Bill education

  • AF extends retroactive stop loss application window

    Airmen eligible for the Retroactive Stop Loss Special Pay Program who did not apply before the fall deadline will have another opportunity to do so, Air Force Personnel Center officials said.Airmen who were unable to submit a claim will be able to do so through Oct. 21, including active duty,

  • AF facilitates media trip to Iraq

    In an unprecedented move, the Air Force facilitated a trip into Iraq for Arab media representatives from Great Britain recently. Four Arab journalists were met in Kuwait by two Air Force public affairs escorts and flown by a C-130 Hercules to Basra and Baghdad, then back to Kuwait.The journalists

  • AF Families Forever: Serving families when and where help is needed

    Air Force Families Forever relocated in November to the Air Force Personnel Center in Joint Base San Antonio- Randolph. This reorganization now helps provide support to families of Airmen killed on active duty where families need it most -- at Air Force bases closest to where they live.

  • AF family gives two Chernobyl children health, hope

    On April 26, 1986, the world’s worst nuclear power accident occurred at Chernobyl in the former Soviet Union, now the Ukraine.Plant workers noticed something drastically wrong with a reactor and began an emergency shutdown -- a procedure that only takes 20 seconds. Unfortunately, that was 13

  • AF family heads to national fitness finals

    McConnell's first family to compete in the national Triple Play Fit Family Challenge has progressed to the third and final tier of the national competition. The Blairs are among the top five out of two hundred families who will travel to Los Angeles, Calif., to compete for the title.

  • AF family navigates autism together

    Michael Christi is a three year old who loves animals, enjoys playing outside and adores school. He is like any other child who learns new subjects and socializes, but he performs differently due to having autism spectrum disorder, a developmental condition that is characterized by difficulty with

  • AF family shares experience with child’s autism

    Four-year-old Dawson Stock loves music and instruments; his mother says he is obsessed with the violin. He knows the alphabet forward and backward and is ready to read. Dawson is teaching himself the sign-language alphabet. He knows his numbers and how to add. Dawson is a high-functioning child.

  • AF family: Like mother, like daughter

    When Senior Airman Kara Watts was a college student and searching for inspiration, she said she only had to look as far as her mother's military service.

  • AF fighter jets practice for inauguration flyover

    Four Air Force fighter jets practiced for the inauguration flyover at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, Jan. 19, 2017.Two generations of fighter aircraft are scheduled to fly in a close formation during the inauguration of President-elect Donald J. Trump at the capitol in Washington, D.C., Jan.

  • AF finishes strong at end of 'critical days of summer'

    The Air Force 2012 Critical Days of Summer campaign ended Sept. 4 with zero fatalities for the Labor Day weekend for the first time in five years. "We at the Safety Center always have a Quest for Zero mission," said Bill Parsons, Air Force Chief of Ground Safety. "It is, and always should be, our

  • AF Fire Emergency Services test fire trucks in extreme cold

    Air Force fire service professionals at Grand Forks Air Force Base, North Dakota, recently spent a week in the coldest weather the country has experienced this year to test the discharge systems of firefighting agents on Air Force fire trucks.

  • AF firefighter saves police officer's life

    Staff Sgt. Lionel Garcia, a 49th Civil Engineer Squadron firefighter, saved the life of a San Antonio police officer Feb. 19, while on leave visiting his family.For Garcia, putting out building, aircraft, automobile or brush fires is just another day in the office; but thanks to his firefighter