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  • 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

  • Undergrad flying training applications due in November

    The 2016 Air Force Undergraduate Flying Training selection board will convene Jan. 25-28 to select applicants for 2016-2017 pilot, remotely piloted aircraft, combat systems officer and air battle manager training opportunities.

  • RPAs prove vital in fight against ISIL

    From August 2014 to August 2015, the 432nd Wing has directly supported Operation Inherent Resolve, a U.S. Central Command and partner nation's campaign to conduct targeted airstrikes in Iraq and Syria as part of the comprehensive strategy to degrade and defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and the

  • 25 years on the hunt

    The 55th Wing's personnel and its RC-135V/W Rivet Joint hit 25 years of continuous deployment to U.S. Central Command's area of responsibility Aug. 9. What started out as a single-ship response to Iraq's invasion of Kuwait on Aug. 2, 1990, has now turned into what is believed to be the longest

  • 63 years later: Columbus supports MIA ceremony

    Twenty honor guardsmen from Columbus Air Force Base and four T-38 Talons supported a missing in action ceremony Aug. 10 for a Mississippi Airman, exactly 63 years after his aircraft crashed.

  • SecAF gains perspective of Beale's ISR mission

    Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James visited Beale Air Force Base to get an up-close view of the high-altitude intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance mission Aug. 10-12.

  • AF welcomes new vice chief of staff

    The Air Force welcomed an Airman to the rank of four-star general and announced the appointment of the new Air Force vice chief of staff during a ceremony at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, Washington, D.C., Aug. 6.

  • Maintainers extend life of T-38 Talon

    The Air Force's trusted trainer, the T-38 Talon, has a new lease on life thanks to a robust structural-modification program. Technicians in the Ogden Air Logistics Complex's 575th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas, recently completed the first aircraft in the

  • New chief of Air Force Safety takes command

    Maj. Gen. Andrew M. Mueller assumed the duties of Air Force chief of safety, Headquarters Air Force, in Washington, D.C., July 24. In that capacity, he also serves as the commander of the Air Force Safety Center at Kirtland Air Force Base.

  • TACPs control skies over Guam for joint training

    To practice their skills, tactical air control party Airmen assigned to the 3rd Air Support Operations Squadron from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, recently made the long journey to Guam to train with a variety of units from Joint Region Marianas.

  • Jamming the enemy with joint integration

    Leaving the flight deck of the EA-6B Prowler behind for a few years, Marine Corps Capt. Jonathon Leach from Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina, joins the Desert Lightning Team.

  • Eye in the sky, RPA Airmen in the Red Flag fight

    The sun beats down on the dry Nevada desert, bringing a smell of fuel that fills the air. Engines begin roaring to life as the Airmen of the 432nd Wing prepare to support Red Flag 15-3 from July 13-31.

  • Dover Airmen survive land, water training

    There are only two survival, evasion, resistance and escape specialists assigned to the 436th Operations Support Squadron at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware, but they are responsible for providing survival training to more than 1,000 aircrew members, including aircrews from the Air National Guard

  • New interrogation system installed on AWACS, more in pipeline

    The E-3 Sentry AWACS Next Generation Identification Friend or Foe (NGIFF) program office from Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts, recently completed the first installation of the new AN/UPX-40 system, which also brings new enhancements onto an operational AWACS at Tinker AFB, Oklahoma.

  • Rand takes command of AF Global Strike Command

    Gen. Robin Rand took command of Air Force Global Strike Command during a ceremony at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, July 28, becoming the newest leader of the organization responsible for the nation's force of ICBMs and nuclear-capable bombers.

  • Innovative Airmen recognized by AF vice chief of staff

    Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Larry O. Spencer presented the inaugural General Larry O. Spencer Innovation Awards July 23 at the Pentagon, to Airmen who made the most significant contributions to saving Air Force financial and manpower resources this year.

  • AF 2015 DOD disability award winners announced

    Tech. Sgt. Brian Williams, assigned to the Air Mobility Command, and Stacy Gatling, assigned to the Air Force Materiel Command, have been selected as the Air Force winners of the 2015 Outstanding Department of Defense Employee\Service Member with a Disability Award.

  • Quest for perfection: Airman strives for flawless execution

    It’s a sport in which a fraction of an inch could mean the difference between a first place finish or dropping 30 spots. Competitive rifle shooting requires patience, accuracy and control. Lt. Col. Mark Gould started the sport more than 23 years ago and he has been pulling the trigger ever since.

  • Betty Welsh: 'We are family, we are different'

    Speaking to a group of key spouses from the 501st Combat Support Wing at Royal Air Force Croughton July 16, Betty Welsh smiled, and explained how she grew from a girl who lived with her family until she was 22, into an Air Force spouse and wife of Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III.

  • Optimism helped Vietnam vet survive as POW

    When 2nd Lt. John "Spike" Nasmyth climbed into his F-4 Phantom II on Sept. 4, 1966, to fly a combat mission over Vietnam, he never foresaw that he'd be blown out of the sky by a surface-to-air missile.The last words he heard before his jet was transformed into a lump of crumpled, metal wreckage were

  • Seymour Johnson Airman shines at inter-nation championship

    Her journey was full of unknowns. She was thousands of miles from home and in a very unfamiliar land. As foreign as she felt, there was one 7-foot wide circle that made her feel right at home.For Airman 1st Class Jessica Johnson, a 4th Aerospace Medicine Squadron public health technician, it was the

  • Human performance team helps RPA Airmen combat stress

    As the persistent demand for remotely piloted aircraft support increases, the burden on the Airmen who fly, maintain and support these operations also increases, often leaving some people to question their abilities to continue in this stressful job.

  • Zelda's tower

    For 35 years, Zelda Montoya has stood in her tower, overlooking flightlines around the world and guiding aircraft to and from home. To her, the sky is not made up of fleecy clouds and endless expanses of blue, but rather lines, grids and waypoints.

  • Munitions systems specialists arm the 'ultimate battle plane'

    Without the munitions systems specialists of the 1st Special Operations Equipment Maintenance Squadron, the AC-130U Spooky would have difficulty completing its close air support mission, to include supporting troops in contact, convoy escort and single point air defense.

  • AF rolls out details to improve RPA mission

    In response to a critical shortage of remotely piloted aircraft pilots, the Air Force rolled out more details of its plan to fix the problem in both the short and long term. The most recent initiatives include creating bonuses for RPA pilots of $15,000 per year beginning in fiscal year 2016; placing

  • Harrigian cites sustainment center’s F-35 support

    The head of the Air Force's F-35 Lightning II integration team cited the Air Force Sustainment Center's overall joint strike fighter support during a visit to the center’s headquarters at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, July 10.

  • Drilling activity for Honduras water well underway

    The 823rd Expeditionary RED HORSE Squadron continued drilling activity for a water well July 7 in Honduras. The well is one of multiple projects taking place here as part of New Horizons, an annual humanitarian assistance exercise.

  • Airman keeps San Antonio, Laughlin safe

    Last year in San Antonio, just a couple of hours down the road from Laughlin Air Force Base, more than 1,600 arrests were made. Of those arrests, more than 580 were gang related and more than 200 firearms were taken off the streets. The credit for pushing gangs off of "military city's" streets goes

  • AF Vietnam veterans honored on Capitol Hill

    Current and former service members, members of Congress, Vietnam veterans and Air Force senior leaders gathered in the Emancipation Hall of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, July 8, for a Congressional Commemoration to honor those who served during the Vietnam War.

  • CMSAF visits Kadena

    Airmen were not short on questions during Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James A. Cody's visit to Kadena Air Base July 5-8.

  • Blast from the past: Last M117 bomb dropped near Guam coast

    Airmen from the 20th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron -- with the help of 36th Munitions Squadron Airmen -- dropped the final M117 air-dropped general purpose bomb in the Pacific Air Force's inventory June 26 on an uninhabited island off the coast of Guam.

  • Pave Hawk maintainers keep rescue birds flying

    Airmen assigned to the 41st Expeditionary Helicopter Maintenance Unit here constantly work maintaining HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopters so that the combat rescue mission in Afghanistan can be a success if and when it is needed.

  • B-52s demonstrate strategic reach

    Two B-52 Stratofortresses assigned to the 2nd Bomb Wing at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, returned July 2 from a 44-hour, nonstop mission to Australia.

  • Airman passes on knowledge to Civil Air Patrol cadets

    As a first lieutenant in the Civil Air Patrol on Kadena Air Base, Chance Sheek is an emergency services training officer, communications officer, and he oversees all of the cadet training. But during the weekday, he is a senior airman assigned to the 18th Logistics Readiness Squadron working as a