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  • Moody deploys first HC-130Js

    The 71st Rescue Squadron deployed two HC-130J Combat King II aircraft for the first time Nov. 27. The HC-130Js, which deployed with more than 60 aircrew, support and maintenance personnel, bring a new set of capabilities to the airspace in support of Operation Inherent Resolve.

  • Healing through music

    Former Maj. Frank Vassar pulled out his cellphone and played a song that he wrote and recorded as other wounded Airmen listened closely. Vassar, 46, explained to about a dozen Airmen at a music therapy session Nov. 19 on Joint Base Andrews that the song, “Evil,” described his post-traumatic stress

  • Upgraded E-3 Sentry deploys to combat theater

    The first E-3G Sentry (AWACS) arrived in Southwest Asia Nov. 18, marking the deployment of the most comprehensive modification to the weapon system in its 38-year history. The Block 40/45 improved communications, computer processing power, threat tracking and other capabilities.

  • Wheelchair rugby makes debut for Warrior CARE Month

    Fifty-pound wheeled chariots made of steel, aluminum and over-sized wheels were the modes of battle Nov. 16 as teams of joint-service wounded, ill and injured kicked off a demonstration of wheelchair rugby.

  • Veterans in Blue: honoring those who served

    The Air Force maintains a special portrait display in the Pentagon as part of its commitment to honoring the devotion and service of veterans. Volume VI will replace volume V of the Veterans in Blue project this November.

  • Yokota enhances capabilities through exercise

    Members of the 374th Airlift Wing participated in exercise Vigilant Ace 16 from Nov. 1-10, in conjunction with a Samurai Readiness Inspection at Yokota Air Base. Vigilant Ace is a large-scale exercise on the Korean Peninsula designed to enhance the interoperability of U.S. and allied forces through

  • Air Force International Affairs builds international Airmen

    The Air Force’s International Affairs deputy shared why building global air force partnerships through integrating political-military relationships, security assistance, technology and information disclosure issues ensures relationships endure during an Air Force Association monthly breakfast Nov.

  • ACC commander attends DWG breakfast

    Air Combat Command commander, Gen. Herbert Carlisle, hosted reporters from the Defense Writer’s Group during a breakfast at the Fairmont Washington Hotel in Washington, D.C., Nov. 10.

  • Linking continents through refueling

    Eight KC-10 Extenders, including two from the 32nd Air Refueling Squadron, refueled seven C-17 Globemaster IIIs over the Atlantic Ocean as they participated in the Trident Juncture exercise Nov. 3.Trident Juncture included 36,000 personnel from more than 30 nations and demonstrated NATO's increased

  • Planes by day, cars by night; Airman's passion brings balance

    By day, Tech. Sgt. Gabriel, a 432nd Wing/432nd Air Expeditionary Wing sensor operator and junior executive officer, helps support global operations by flying eight-hour MQ-9 Reaper sorties from the comfort of a cushy, thick seat inside a ground control station. But by night, he finds himself

  • AF veteran survivor of three wars, plane crash

    Retired Lt. Col. Alma Skousen, a humble, soft-spoken 89-year-old fighter pilot, served his country during three wars, encountered Soviet MiG fighters in battle and survived a jet crash before ending his flying career as the 311th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron, now known as the 311th Fighter

  • ESPN SportsCenter to broadcast from Academy on Veterans Day

    The Air Force Academy is scheduled to host ESPN on Veterans Day for a live telecast of its flagship program, SportsCenter.The Academy visit will anchor a week of network programming as part of ESPN's seventh annual America's Heroes salute.

  • Global Strike Airmen support largest NATO exercise in 20 years

    Two B-52 Stratofortress aircrews assigned to Air Force Global Strike Command conducted a long-range bomber mission to the U.S. European Command area of operations Nov. 3-4 as part of Trident Juncture 2015 -- the largest NATO exercise in the past 20 years.

  • Airfield managers maintain flightline during Vigilant Ace 16

    During the readiness exercise Vigilant Ace 16, every participating aircraft requires a safe and functioning flightline in order to complete their mission-specific directives. Airmen assigned to the 51st Operations Support Squadron airfield management flight are responsible for ensuring the

  • Guardsmen deliver rescue capabilities across Pacific

    Alaska Air National Guardsmen from the 176th Wing, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, conducted long range search and rescue drills Oct. 31 near the coast of White Beach Naval Base.A 212th Rescue Squadron guardian angel rescue team was delivered across the Pacific Ocean on a nearly 12-hour, nonstop

  • ‘Black Widows’ arrive at Bagram for final F-16 deployment

    Airmen assigned to the 421st Fighter Squadron arrived Oct. 28 for its last F-16 Fighting Falcon deployment in support of Operation Freedom’s Sentinel and NATO’s Resolute Support mission as the unit begins to shift to a newer aircraft.

  • 45th Space Wing supports GPS satellite launch aboard Atlas V

    The 45th Space Wing supported the Air Force's 11th launch of a Boeing-built Global Positioning System IIF satellite aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, on Oct. 31.

  • ACC intel officer shares new ISR perspective

    Air Combat Command’s senior intelligence officer shared her perspective on fusion warfare with the intelligence community, defense industry and media during an Oct. 22 assembly at the Air Force Association’s Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies.

  • AF leaders testify on F-35 progress

    Leaders in the F-35 Lightning II Joint Program Office and the Air Force F-35 Integration Office testified on the fifth-generation aircraft’s development before a House Armed Services subcommittee Oct. 21 on Capitol Hill.

  • Yesterday’s Air Force: HH-3E

    Getting stranded behind enemy lines is a concern during every combat mission and one aircraft set the standard for combat search and rescue during the Vietnam War -- the Sikorsky HH-3E.

  • Pope Airman awarded DOD’s ‘Spirit of Hope’

    Tech. Sgt. Rebeca Martin, assigned to the U.S. Air Force Combat Control School, was honored by the Defense Department during a ceremony Oct. 16 at the Pentagon where she received the 2015 Spirit of Hope Award, named after the legendary entertainer Bob Hope to recognize selfless service and a

  • C-130 crash victims remembered by colleagues, leaders

    More than 1,000 people attended a memorial service Oct. 16 to honor two Hanscom Air Force Base Airmen killed earlier this month when the C-130J Super Hercules aircraft they were on crashed shortly after takeoff from Jalalabad, Afghanistan.

  • Combat weather forecasters help keep pilots out of harm’s way

    It’s a tough job trying to predict Mother Nature and when it comes to weather, everyone’s a critic. Thinking the day holds nothing but sun and your picnic gets rained out can be aggravating. Now try to tell a pilot he can’t fly because the weather patterns shifted. This dilemma is something deployed

  • Nellis Airman 'LEAPs' into language program

    Capt. Reni Angelova, the 99th Medical Group practice manager, speaks Russian, Bulgarian and English while possessing master’s degrees in economics, law, business administration as well as international relations. She has worked as a teacher and a border patrol agent at one of the busiest checkpoints

  • Hill commemorates new era in combat airpower

    Hill Air Force Base officials and the Top of Utah community officially welcomed the F-35 Lightning II at a ceremony here Oct. 14, an event that formally marked the beginning of F-35 operations for the 388th and 419th Fighter Wings.

  • 460th Medical Group sharpens combat readiness skills

    The 460th Medical Group held annual combat leadership and combat medic training Oct. 1-4 at Fort Carson, Colorado. Learning how to continue the mission while under the stresses of combat is essential to being successful on the battlefield.

  • Spirit in the sky

    As part of an initiative to provide more effective spiritual care to members of the Offutt Air Force Base’s flying community, 55th Wing chaplains are now becoming aerial qualified to go where aircrews go.

  • AF missile officers get their ‘sea legs’

    Through the Striker Trident nuclear officer exchange program, four hand-selected intercontinental ballistic missile officers assigned to various Air Force Global Strike Command units are broadening their horizons by serving multi-year tours with U.S. Navy Submarine Forces ballistic missile submarine

  • Remotely piloted aircraft training expands at Holloman

    The Air Force currently employs numerous remotely piloted aircraft in support of surveillance and reconnaissance missions throughout deployed locations, with the bulk of these missions are being placed specifically upon the MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper aircraft.

  • 435th AGOW deploys team, expands OIR mission

    Full certainty is never guaranteed in the military, which is why Airmen are trained to deploy at a moment's notice and hit the grounding running when they’re called upon. For Airmen assigned to the 435th Contingency Response Group, that need came Aug. 12 when the unit deployed to Diyarbakir Air

  • German village honors fallen US Airman

    Second Lt. Priesley Cooper Jr. was shot down during a mission 70 years ago near the village of Dietingen, Germany, during World War II. Cooper remained buried at the village's local cemetery until 1950 when he was moved to an American cemetery in Belgium. But the village felt they could still do

  • 377th ABW transfers to AF Global Strike Command

    The 377th Air Base Wing at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, became part of 20th Air Force Oct. 1, as it shifts from Air Force Materiel Command to Air Force Global Strike Command.

  • Airmen in C-130 crash identified, memorialized

    The six Airmen assigned to the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing who died Oct. 2 when their C-130J Super Hercules crashed shortly after takeoff from Jalalabad Airfield, Afghanistan, were identified Oct. 3 by the Defense Department.

  • Air Force, Navy hone skills in the skies

    F-22 Raptors from the 90th Fighter Squadron duked it out with F-18 Hornets from Navy Strike Fighter Squadron 15 to wrest as much training experience from each other Sept. 14-25.

  • AF streamlines expeditionary readiness training

    Air Force officials announced the creation of a new streamlined Expeditionary Readiness Program governance construct that replaces the current tiered predeployment training model.The updated program is designed to ensure expeditionary readiness training is relevant, effective, timely, synchronized,

  • SERE: The drive to survive

    Staff Sgt. Robert Rogers, 374th Operations Support Squadron SERE training NCO in charge, has been serving the Air Force as a SERE specialist for eight years.

  • RPA maintainers accomplish mission despite low retention

    The constant and insatiable demand for remotely piloted aircraft airpower places stressors on nearly every career field within the RPA enterprise. For some Airmen of the 432nd Maintenance Group, the fast-paced deployment rotation, constant shift work, time away from family, limited assignment

  • Small team keeps combat hospital up, running

    A small team of Airmen provide the logistics and facilities management needed to keep Craig Joint Theater Hospital ready to care for patients at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan.

  • Rescuer reunites with ‘Katrina Girl’

    Ten years ago, then-Staff Sgt. Mike Maroney, a helicopter pararescue specialist, was on day seven of a Hurricane Katrina recovery mission when he saw a family on the roof of their home flagging for help. Strapped in and ready to go, he was lowered from his rescue helicopter to the rooftop. What he

  • Global Hawk maintainers deliver ISR capability to warfighters

    The maintainers, assigned to the 380th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, are responsible for maintaining and ensuring the RQ-4 Global Hawk is able to deliver round-the-clock intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance and communication support to ground forces and aerial platforms

  • Special tactics Airmen execute amphibious training

    Airmen from the 320th Special Tactics Squadron conducted an amphibious training operation along the west coast of Okinawa Sept. 22-24 to refresh qualifications and retain proficiency in various special tactics skill sets.

  • Barksdale Airmen participate in EUCOM exercise

    A 2nd Bomb Wing B-52 Stratofortress aircrew conducted a long-range bomber mission from the United States to the U.S. European Command area of operations Sept. 17-18, where they participated in exercise Immediate Response 2015.

  • Time with MAJCOM commanders at the four-star forum

    Members of the Air Force, Air Force Association and defense industry were invited to a Q-and-A session with Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III, Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James M. Cody and several major command commanders during a four-star forum at the AFA Air and Space

  • Department of Defense honors heroes with highest recognition

    Secretary of Defense Ash Carter honored Airman 1st Class Spencer Stone, Army Spc. Alek Skarlatos and Anthony Sadler for their heroism during an award ceremony at the Pentagon Sep. 17.The three men made headlines when they subdued a heavily armed gunman on a Paris-bound train Aug. 21.

  • Enlisted Airmen: A legacy of professionals

    Professionalism was the common thread when the Air Force’s senior enlisted leader talked about the Airmen of yesterday, today and tomorrow during the Air Force Association’s Air and Space Conference and Technology Exposition Sept. 16 in Washington D.C.

  • More than a hero: An American Airman

    The Airman’s Creed is recited from the very beginning of an Airman’s career. For one Airman, that creed became more than words – it became a part of who he is.

  • Air Force Materiel Command: Aerospace revolutionaries

    Gen. Ellen M. Pawlikowski, the Air Force Materiel Command commander, showcased AFMC’s revolutionary capabilities in her address at the Air Force Association’s Air and Space Conference and Technology Exposition Sept. 15.

  • Carter: DOD must embrace future to remain best force

    Two days before the Air Force’s 68th birthday, Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Sept. 16, at the Air Force Association’s Air and Space Conference and Technology Exposition 2015, that the military must embrace the future to remain the best force.The defense secretary said the gathering’s theme,

  • ACC commander talks 5th generation warfare, innovation at AFA

    Gen. Hawk Carlisle, the Air Combat Command commander, addressed advances in 5th generation warfare and the importance of delivering cutting-edge technology during the second day of the Air Force Association's Air and Space Conference and Technology Exposition.

  • Welsh cites heroes, talks modernization during Air Force Update

    Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III shared the spotlight with a cross-section of people he called his heroes during an emotional multimedia presentation at the Air Force Association’s Air and Space Conference and Technology Exposition Sept. 15 in Washington D.C.

  • Air Force members receive 2014 International Affairs Excellence Award

    Air Force members accepted the 2014 International Affairs Excellence Award during the Air Force Association’s 2015 Air and Space Conference and Technology Exposition Sept. 14. This was the first year the award was split into four categories: officer, enlisted, senior civilian and junior civilian.

  • Two fallen special tactics Airmen honored, remembered

    More than 1,000 family members, friends and teammates from around the country gathered here Sept. 14 to honor and remember two special tactics Airmen who were killed in action last month in an insider attack.As the procession of family members departed the memorial, nearly 2,000 Air Commandos lined

  • AFRC presents painting to SecAF

    Lt. Gen. James Jackson, the Air Force Reserve Command commander, presented Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James with the painting “That Others May Live” during the Air Force Association Air and Space Conference and Technology Exposition in Washington, D.C., Sept. 14, 2015.

  • Remembering that day in September

    An expanse of dark blue water rushed beneath the Boeing 767 window. A woman’s voice trembled through the static of the Airfone in her hands.

  • Defense secretary visits Nellis

    Defense Secretary Ash Carter visited the Nellis Air Force Base Aug. 26 to observe Red Flag 15-4 operations and speak to Airmen and coalition partners about the future of the force and innovation.

  • Aircraft communications maintainers make RPA missions possible

    In a world where cockpits aren't in the plane, these traditional communications Airmen are put in a maintenance environment to link the ground control station, also known as the RPA cockpit, to the aircraft. This capability allows the pilot and sensor operator to control the plane, both locally and

  • First operational F-35As arrive at Hill AFB

    The Air Force ushered in a new era of combat air power today as Hill Air Force Base received the service's first two operational F-35As.Hill's active duty 388th Fighter Wing and Reserve 419th Fighter Wing will be the first combat-coded units to fly and maintain the Air Force's newest

  • New ACC program begins, aimed to improve MQ-1/9 community

    The initial stage of Air Combat Command's new program, the Culture and Process Improvement Program, began Aug. 21 at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, and is designed to take place across 12 Air Force active-duty, Reserve and Guard bases.The CPIP was established to target and develop methods of improvement

  • CSAF speaks about CMSAF role

    Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III addressed Airmen about the importance of leadership during the 2015 Air Force Sergeants Association Professional Airmen's Conference in San Antonio Aug. 26.

  • SERE: Man is the environmental impact

    With detailed site surveys and permits for 43 geographically separated pieces of land over a four-state area, Todd Foster, the 336th Training Group training area manager, knows the environmental impact of the U.S. Air Force Survival School and the resources consumed to meet the training requirements

  • F-22 inaugural deployment to Europe

    Four F-22 Raptors, one C-17 Globemaster III, and approximately 60 Airmen arrived at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, to train with allied air forces and U.S. services through mid-September.

  • Tuskegee Airman takes final flight at Academy

    Franklin Macon joined the Army Air Corps in 1943 after the creation of the Tuskegee program allowed African-Americans to fill military pilot positions, which were previously occupied exclusively by whites. On Aug. 26 at the age of 92, Macon sat on the airfield at the U.S. Air Force Academy, waiting

  • Civil Air Patrol joins total force ‘Airmen’

    When conducting missions for the Air Force as the official Air Force auxiliary, the Civil Air Patrol is now included in the Air Force’s definition of the total force. CAP has provided 74 years of support to emergency services, aerospace education and cadet programs.

  • Arming the RPAs

    Airmen from the 62nd Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron provide every munition that is loaded onto an MQ-1B Predator or MQ-9 Reaper at Kandahar Airfield; without them, the RPAs wouldn’t be able to provide combat airpower in Afghanistan.

  • Guardsman brings diverse background to Bagram’s mission

    It isn’t every day you come across someone who has been a Soldier, Sailor and Airman, but then again, Tech. Sgt. Russell McLamb isn’t your everyday service member.McLamb’s uniqueness isn’t just that he has served in three different services; but he has also served in all three of the service’s

  • Air Force Global Strike Command commander visits USSTRATCOM

    Gen. Robin Rand, the Air Force Global Strike Command commander, met with. Navy Adm. Cecil D. Haney, the U.S. Strategic Command commander, other senior USSTRATCOM leaders and subject matter experts to discuss a variety of mission-related issues during his visit to Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska,

  • RED HORSE: A legacy of leaving it better than how they found it

    RED HORSE is a self-sustaining, mobile, heavy construction squadron capable of rapid response and independent operations in remote, high-threat environments worldwide. They were activated in 1966 as the Air Force’s combat construction team. Today, the 557th Expeditionary RED HORSE Squadron carries