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U.S. Air Force News

  • CENTCOM EOD teams link up for joint service field training

    Explosive ordnance disposal teams from across the U.S. Air Forces Central Command area of responsibility participated in a weeklong joint field training exercise May 22 to May 26, 2017, at an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia.

  • Hurricane Hunters take part in Navy operational demonstration

    While their typical mission is gathering weather data for the National Hurricane Center, the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron “Hurricane Hunters” spent May 30 to June 1, 2017, providing weather information for the Navy’s first Gulf of Mexico oceanography unmanned systems operational

  • Air Force announces significant changes to Aviation Bonus Program

    As part of its retention efforts, the Air Force released details on the fiscal year 2017 Aviation Bonus Program (AvB) June 5, 2017. This year’s program implements an increase in maximum bonus amounts authorized in the fiscal 2017 National Defense Authorization Act in addition to more flexibility in

  • Finding a way to win

    It was a temperate day at Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan when Lt. Col. Craig Andrle and his wingman, Capt. Adam Fuhrmann, began walking across the flightline to their soon-to-be airborne F-16CM Fighting Falcons.

  • 68th Annual Arthur S. Flemming Award winners announced

    Air Force officials are pleased to announce the three recipients of the 68th Annual Arthur S. Flemming Award. The three distinguished winners are scheduled to be honored by the award commission at George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

  • Dunford urges new AF officers to lead in Academy graduation address

    While the new officers of the U.S. Air Force Academy's Class of 2017 must never stop learning, it's time to lead, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said at graduation ceremonies in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Marine Corps Gen. Joe Dunford thanked the 979 graduates for answering the call to

  • Air defense exercise hones air-intercept skills

    Aircrews and associated support personnel from across the military air-defense enterprise are here for a three-day Aerospace Control Alert CrossTell live-fly training exercise from May 23-25, 2017.

  • All in a night’s work: MQ-9s maximize airpower downrange

    As many Americans sleep soundly in their beds, Airmen in attack squadrons across the 432nd Wing flying the MQ-1B Predator and MQ-9 Reaper from cockpits in the continental U.S. are having decisive effects in the fight against violent extremism. In combat operations last week, one MQ-9 squadron stood

  • AF proposes 1,600 personnel increase to command support staffs

    The Air Force plans to increase commander support staff manning across the force by 1,600 by fiscal year 2022 increasing total authorizations to more than 6,300. Currently, the personnel increase calls for 170 officers, 469 enlisted and 961 civilians with all civilian hires authorized for fiscal

  • EOD disposes unserviceable munitions in Southwest Asia

    A group of EOD technicians, ammunition personnel and firefighters from the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing worked together to dispose of the truckload of unserviceable ordnance in a safe manner in Southwest Asia May 11, 2017. The disposal included close to 8,000 ordnance items and 1,000 pharmaceutical

  • USAF Special Tactics trains to lead, build partnership in Jordan

    Air Force Special Tactics teams, Jordanian Armed Forces Special Task Force and Italy's 17th Stormo Incursori special operations forces secure each building in the compound -- searching for a missing U.S. service member and rendering aid to casualties along the way.

  • C-130 pilot receives 60th Koren Kolligian Jr. Trophy

    Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Stephen Wilson presented the 2016 Koren Kolligian Jr. Trophy to Maj. John Hourigan, a 123rd Operations Support Squadron C-130 Hercules pilot, at the Pentagon, May 17, 2017, for not only saving the lives of five crewmembers, but also identifying a worldwide C-130

  • Special Operations Command aircrew recognized for meritorious flight

    Every year, an aircrew is selected for the Clarence Mackay Trophy for accomplishing the most meritorious flight of the year. This year, an AC-130U aircrew from Air Force Special Operations Command, which included one of 25th Air Force’s outstanding Airmen, was recognized with the honor.

  • AF Repair Enhancement Program saves millions of dollars

    The Air Force Repair Enhancement Program here performs marvels all the time. Recently, the four-person shop repaired a $20,000 power supply headed for the trash by replacing a $5 resistor, the equivalent of fixing a $300 phone with an eight-cent paper clip.

  • AFOSI spouse earns Military Spouse of the Year

    Brittany Boccher, the spouse of Master Sgt. Adam Boccher, an Air Force Office of Special Investigations special agent, from Detachment 327 at Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas, had a memorable year in 2016. Boccher was selected as the 2016 Little Rock AFB Military Spouse of the Year and the AFOSI

  • MQ-1 squadron celebrates 100 years

    The 15th Attack Squadron patch depicting a pigeon clutching a telescope harkens to the squadron’s long history of reconnaissance missions. On May 9, 2017, the 15th ATKS celebrated their 100-year anniversary and reflected on the unit’s extensive and honorable heritage, which coincidentally includes

  • AFLCMC awards major long range radar contract

    The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center here awarded the Raytheon Company a $52.6 million contract May 11, 2017, for the three-dimensional expeditionary long-range radar system.

  • Air National Guard senior NCO breaks barriers

    (This feature is part of the "Through Airmen's Eyes" series on AF.mil. These stories focus on a single Airman, highlighting their Air Force story.)With multiple deployments and unique assignments during her 29 plus years of military experience as a munitions system specialist, Chief Master Sgt.

  • Nevada ANG chaplain: 'I want people to know Islam is not evil'

    Laura Magee remembers asking her father about religion when she was 8 while innocently combing her hair in front of a large vanity mirror. It was the first time she can remember asking one of her parents about the existence of a God — which she said her father quickly repudiated. Her parents

  • F-35 complete first European training deployment

    Eight F-35A Lightning IIs from the 34th Fighter Squadron, along with supporting units and equipment from Hill Air Force Base, Utah, completed the first F-35A training deployment to Europe, May 7, 2017.

  • First combat MQ-1, MQ-9 wing celebrates 10 years at Creech AFB

    The 432nd Wing celebrated their 10th anniversary at Creech Air Force Base as a combat remotely piloted aircraft wing May 1, 2017. In attendance was Gen. Mike Holmes, the Air Combat Command commander, Col. Case Cunningham, the 432nd WG/432nd Air Expeditionary Wing commander, and 400 Airmen of the

  • Medal of Honor recipient passes away at 85

    Col. Leo K. Thorsness, Medal of Honor recipient, passed away May 2, 2017, in St. Augustine, Florida, at the age of 85, according to the Congressional Medal of Honor Society.

  • Malmstrom tests Minuteman III missile with launch from Vandenberg

    A team of Air Force Global Strike Command Airmen from the 341st Missile Wing at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana, launched an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile equipped with a single test reentry vehicle May 3, 2017, at 12:02 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time from Vandenberg AFB,

  • Trump presents CINC Trophy to USAFA

    The U.S. Air Force Academy football team received the Commander in Chief’s Trophy from President Donald Trump during a visit to the White House May 2, 2017.

  • Weather flight critical to coalition mission

    Dropping bombs on target in Syria and Iraq during combat missions supporting Operation Inherent Resolve requires a complex array of information, including intelligence gathered well in advance of the combat sortie. Often times, this intelligence is gathered by coalition partners flying out of the

  • EOD Airmen first to graduate Army air assault school

    Two Airmen from the 386th Civil Engineer Squadron explosive ordnance disposal unit graduated from the U.S. Army Air Assault School held at Camp Buehring, Kuwait, April 14, 2017. The unprecedented graduation was the first time in history that Airmen, while serving on a contingency operation

  • Around the Air Force: April 26

    On this look around the Air Force, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David L. Goldfein awards two Airmen the Air Force Cross and President Donald Trump speaks with astronauts who are onboard the International Space Station.

  • MacDill first in AF to host Alpha Warrior tour

    MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, hosted the Air Force’s first stop for the Air Force Alpha Warrior Tour, April 18-19, 2017. The Air Force Services Activity partnered with the Alpha Warrior team to continue building Comprehensive Airman Fitness through the newly initiated Air Force Alpha Warrior

  • Travis AFB earns DOD environmental restoration award

    Dedication to using green and sustainable remediation technologies and biological processes that breakdown contaminates in groundwater has earned Travis Air Force Base, California, its first Defense Secretary Environmental Restoration Award for Installations.

  • Airmen earn Gen. Lew Allen Jr. Award

    Four Airmen received the Gen. Lew Allen Jr. Award on April 21, 2017, during a ceremony at the Pentagon. Lt. Gen. Jerry Harris, the deputy chief of staff for Air Force strategic plans, programs and requirements, presented the awards on behalf of the chief of staff of the Air Force.

  • Goldfein presents two Air Force Crosses

    A 7-foot bronze statue stood prominently over a sea of multicolored berets, flanked by the 21st chief of staff of the Air Force and the Air Force’s newest Air Force Cross recipients.Two Airmen, whose heroics were separated by 11 years and 100 miles in the same war zone, solidified a special tactics

  • NATO partners conduct close air support exercise

    Today’s fight against terrorism doesn’t rest on the shoulders of one country. It’s a team fight, meaning countries must be interoperable to effectively defeat that threat.To better support the team, members of the German air force’s Air Ground Operations Squadron partnered with the 19th Air Support

  • AF seeks 2017 Gen. Mark A. Welsh III One Air Force Award submissions

    Air Force officials are seeking nominations for the 2017 Gen. Mark A. Welsh III One Air Force Award. This Air Force-level award, which recognizes mission success achieved by a team of two or more total force components, will be presented to the top team that demonstrates improved effectiveness,

  • Air Force, Walt Disney Co. receive operations research award

    Members of the Air Force Studies, Analysis and Assessments directorate joined leaders of the Walt Disney Company as co-awardees of the INFORMS Prize at a gala in Las Vegas, Nevada, April 3, 2017, for their pioneering and enduring integration of operations research and analytics programs. The award

  • Wright-Patterson, NMUSAF pay tribute to Doolittle Raid 75th anniversary

    Friends, family and fans from around the country came together to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Doolittle Tokyo Raid April 17-18, 2017, at the National Museum of the United States Air Force located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. The April 18, 1942, Doolittle Raid on Tokyo was an

  • America’s cryptologic wing develops cyberspace warriors

    As one of Air Combat Command’s integral assets, the 70th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Wing is home to several types of cyberspace warriors, including the exploitation analysts (EA) of the 41st Intelligence Squadron.

  • F-35A deployment brings advanced airpower capability to Europe

    This weekend’s deployment of an initial six F-35A Lightning II fighters and several hundred Airmen to Europe demonstrates the aircraft’s readiness to conduct operations with America’s European partners, according to Air Force leaders.

  • Resilience: One Airman’s story of faith, service

    Senior Master Sgt. Jon Rousseaux was like many children who grew up in a military family. The self-described man of faith and service followed his father, a retired chief, into the Air Force -- and after 19 years, he is still at it. In fact, he just re-enlisted for four more years. Rousseaux’s years

  • Airmen earn German proficiency badge; forge relationships

    Twenty-four Airmen from the 19th Air Support Operations Squadron will be sporting new accoutrements on their uniforms after competing for the coveted German Armed Forces Proficiency Badge, April 4-7, 2017, at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. The badge is a military decoration worn by the Bundeswehr, the

  • Persistent surveillance gives squadron its global purpose

    Deep within the walls of a four story structure along Florida’s Space Coast sits a squadron of Airmen whose number one mission is to detect, identify and locate nuclear explosions anywhere in the world.The Technical Surveillance Squadron (TESS), a subordinate unit to the Air Force Technical

  • U.S. bombs, destroys Khorasan group stronghold in Afghanistan

    At 7:32 p.m. local time April 13, 2017, U.S. Forces Afghanistan conducted a strike on an Islamic State of Iraq and Syria-Khorasan tunnel complex in Achin district, Nangarhar province, Afghanistan, as part of ongoing efforts to defeat ISIS-K in Afghanistan, according to a U.S. Forces Afghanistan news

  • Pilots take brotherhood to new heights

    Maj. Matthew Shelly, the 23d Wing director of inspections and a pilot with the 74th Fighter Squadron, and his little brother, Capt. Christopher Shelly, the 76th Fighter Squadron chief of standards and evaluations, flew in formation together for the first time, April 8, 2017, over Moody AFB.

  • U.S., South Korean Airmen exercise port opening capability

    Approximately 60 Airmen from the 621st Contingency Response Wing stationed at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, 30 U.S. Army Soldiers assigned to the 689th Rapid Port Opening Element stationed at JB Langley-Eustis, Virginia, and a few dozen South Korean air force members participated in

  • Military Treatment Facility leadership conference stresses Trusted Care

    If medical error could be classified as a disease, it would rank as the third deadliest disease in America. A medical error is a mistake by a medical provider which results in harm to a patient. For example, misdiagnosis of a condition or administering the improper dosage of a medicine.

  • CSAF Prestigious Captains Ph.D. Program application window open

    The application window is open for active-duty Air Force captains interested in applying for the Chief of Staff of the Air Force Captains Prestigious Ph.D. Program which exposes rising officers to a unique learning experience at a top-tier university.

  • Operation Homefront recognizes 2017 AF Military Child of the Year

    Eighteen-year-old Jamal Braxton has a busy schedule. The high school senior holds various leadership positions with the Red Cross, participates in multiple varsity sport programs and is a lifeguard. He accomplishes all this as a military child and the challenges inherent in military family life.

  • ANG units fly first, last C-130 deployments

    Big changes are in the works for two Air National Guard units deployed to the 737th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron at the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing in Southwest Asia. The Connecticut ANG has transitioned from the A-10 Thunderbolt II and the C-21 Cougar to the C-130H Hercules, which it is

  • Innovation enhances safety, leads to international recognition

    Air traffic control is serious business. Every day thousands of flights take off and land all across the U.S. Dedicated professionals known as air traffic controllers are responsible for monitoring every flight and coordinating with aircrews and people on the ground.

  • MQ-1, MQ-9 aircrews help liberate Manbij

    In 2016, U.S. Air Force MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper aircrews assisted coalition partners in the reclamation of Manbij, Syria, from Islamic State of Iraq and Syria forces.Pilots and sensor operators assigned to squadrons across the 432nd Wing and the 432nd Air Expeditionary Wing provided the close

  • Intelligence communications systems migrate worldwide

    While protecting the nation and seeking out the enemy, U.S. military forces must exchange sensitive information safely and securely. The Air Force Joint Worldwide Intelligence Communications System allows multi-media communications between authorized individuals by secure means, and in a timely

  • 250th Air Force Community Partnership signed

    Leaders from Joint Base Charleston and the surrounding community signed the 250th Air Force community partnership agreement last week. This one aims to reduce emergency response time for local military and civilian first responders.

  • 9th AF provides first Rear Mission Support Element training

    Sixty Airmen who completed the first two official Air Force Rear Mission Support Element training courses are participating in War Fighter Exercise 17-4 at Fort Hood, Texas, through April 12. The exercise is part of their deployment training to support operations at Combined Joint Task

  • Freeze-dried plasma to the rescue

    Since hemorrhage is the leading cause of preventable death in combat casualties, Air Force Special Operations Command is improving access to blood products on the battlefield.

  • MWD retires, reunited with wingman

    In 2012, Staff Sgt. Anthony Despins, a 20th Security Forces Squadron military working dog handler, met Jony, his first canine partner.Together the two used their individual skill sets to make a formidable team, certified as an explosives detection and patrol unit to keep people around the world safe

  • CSAF shares thoughts, stresses importance of Hanscom work during visit

    Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David L. Goldfein visited Hanscom Air Force Base March 28 to 30, 2017 to learn more about the work done at the base, meet with local civic officials to discuss collaboration, and share his insight about where the Air Force currently is and where it’s headed.

  • Stopping Sexual Assault – Not Just in April

    The truth is, the vast majority of Airmen we serve alongside have never – and will never – sexually assault another person in their lifetime. Let me say it again for the people in the back – the vast majority of our Airmen HAVE NEVER and WILL NEVER harm another person. Hard stop.

  • AF addresses pilot shortage

    Lt. Gen. Gina Grosso, the Air Force manpower, personnel and services deputy chief of staff, testified on the pilot shortage before the House Armed Services subcommittee on military personnel in Washington, D.C., March 29, 2017.

  • AFRL lighting the way for military aircrews

    Air Force Research Laboratory Materials and Manufacturing Directorate (RX) junior force researchers resolved an issue of critical importance to military pilots and aircrews—portable, reliable and robust temporary landing zone lighting.

  • 11th ATKS paves way with training

    To accomplish flight, two geographically separate aircrews work together: the mission control element and the launch and recovery element. The MCE is responsible for executing the mission, while the LRE conducts takeoffs and landings. While being MCE certified is standard for all aircrews flying the

  • Squadron develops process, trains new mobility Airmen across Europe

    For many new Airmen, completing upgrade training within their career field can feel like an uphill battle. There are career development courses and on-the-job training to complete, all while keeping up with the day-to-day demands of the job.The 721st Aerial Port Squadron at Ramstein Air Base has

  • Next generation coatings booth poised to save Air Force millions in energy

    It only makes sense for the Air Force’s newest, most complex, multi-role fighter to have the most advanced, state-of-the-art sustainment facilities to ensure enduring power for years to come.The Air Force Research Laboratory’s Advanced Power Technology Office is on the front lines of making this

  • Fallen Airman remembered by comrades

    With a packed room of not just people, but also emotion, Staff Sgt. Alexandria Morrow was remembered by colleagues and friends Mar 23, 2017 during her memorial service at her deployed location.Members of her deployed unit, 332nd Expeditionary Maintenance Squadron, shared stories and memories that

  • 416th FLTS upgrading F-16 radar

    The 416th Flight Test Squadron continually conducts developmental testing to enhance the warfighting capabilities of the F-16 Fighting Falcon. One focus of the F-16 testers here is the integration and testing of a new radar as part of the F-16 Radar Modernization Program.

  • Five Airmen awarded Olmsted Foundation scholarships

    The Air Force has selected five officers for the award of an Olmsted Foundation scholarship, sponsored by the George and Carol Olmsted Foundation, which offers outstanding young military leaders the opportunity to become fluent in a foreign language, pursue graduate study at an overseas university

  • Flexible opportunities available supporting Air Force auxiliary

    For Airmen who want to continue serving their country, but can no longer commit to a monthly or annual schedule, the Civil Air Patrol Reserve Assistance Program may be their next career move. The program, CAPRAP, utilizes officer and enlisted Reserve Airmen as liaisons between local CAP squadrons