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U.S. Air Force News

  • President signed improvements to Post-9/11 GI Bill

    To bring the educational benefits of the Post-9/11 GI Bill closer to more veterans and service members, President Obama signed legislation Jan. 4 that streamlines the 18 month-old education program administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs."Since the first GI Bill in 1944, this unique

  • President signs 2007 Defense Authorization Act

    The fiscal 2007 National Defense Authorization Act provides more than $530 billion to maintain the military in the shape it must be to win the war on terrorism.President Bush signed the bill, officially called the John Warner National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2007, during a small

  • President signs 2010 Defense budget into law

    Defense officials are hailing passage of the fiscal 2010 budget that funds military programs and wartime operations in Afghanistan and Iraq and provides a military pay raise. President Barack Obama signed the 2010 Department of Defense Appropriations Act into law Dec. 19 after the Senate approved it

  • President signs bill authorizing changes to TSP for civilians

    On June 22, President Obama signed into law the Thrift Savings Plan Enhancement Act of 2009 as part of the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act (Public Law 111-31). One of the provisions of the new law eliminates the waiting period of appropriated fund civilian employees covered under

  • President signs bill, aids military spouses

    The President signed a bill Nov. 11 to help ease the strain on military families who frequently travel from state to state and country to country.President Barack Obama signed the bill, known as the 'Military Spouses Residency Relief Act,' as an amendment to the 2003 Servicemembers Civil Relief

  • President signs CAP medal into law

    President Barack Obama today signed into law S. 309, the bill awarding a Congressional Gold Medal to Civil Air Patrol for its service during World War II.

  • President signs continuing resolution extension

    President Barack Obama signed legislation March 2 that will keep the government funded and running through March 18.The new continuing resolution cuts $4 billion from the previous continuing resolution funding. None of the $4 billion is taken from Defense Department programs. Extending the

  • President signs Defense Authorization Act

    President Barack Obama signed the fiscal 2010 National Defense Authorization Act during a ceremony at the White House Oct. 28. President Obama hailed the act, which contains $680.2 billion in military budget authority, as transformational legislation that targets wasteful defense spending. The

  • President signs 'Don't Ask Don't Tell' repeal act into Law

    President Barack Obama signed the Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010 into law in a ceremony at the Department of the Interior Dec. 22.Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said defense officials will immediately proceed with the planning necessary to "carry out this change carefully and

  • President surveys Oklahoma tornado damage

    President Barack Obama landed here on his way to Moore, Okla. to survey the tornado devastation and meet with victims and first responders May 26.The president shook hands and spoke with Tinker AFB employees' families and first responders on the flightline here before traveling to Moore. The

  • President thanks troops, urges Americans to thank them too

    President Bush expressed his gratitude June 28 to the nation's servicemembers and their families, and urged Americans to take time on Independence Day to make their own gesture of thanks.President Bush spoke at Fort Bragg, N.C., in a nationally televised address."To the Soldiers in this hall and our

  • President thanks veterans for service during inaugural ball

    President Bush and first lady Laura Bush were greeted with resounding cheers as they made the first stop of their whirlwind tour of inaugural galas here Jan. 20. At the "Salute to Heroes" inaugural ball, hundreds of veterans from across the country, along with their wives and families, greeted the

  • President throws pitch, greets children at Nationals game

    President Barack Obama threw the ceremonial opening pitch April 15 at the Washington Nationals' home opener here, which also featured a special event in honor of Month of the Military Child.As President Obama left the field, he shook the hands of nine military children, chosen to join the Nationals'

  • President to meet with defense secretary, joint chiefs

    Iraq and Afghanistan likely will be among the discussion topics when President Barack Obama makes his first visit to the Pentagon this afternoon to meet with Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and the Joint Chiefs of Staff, a senior Defense Department official said here Jan. 28. "This meeting is part

  • President to meet with senior enlisted advisers

    President Barack Obama is scheduled to meet Jan. 30 with the U.S. military's senior enlisted advisers at the White House, a senior Defense Department official said. The armed services' enlisted advisers are the senior noncommissioned officers for the Air Force, Army, Navy and Marine Corps. The

  • President Trump visits Luke AFB

    President Donald J. Trump visited Luke Air Force Base, Arizona, Oct. 19, to discuss military weapons and technology capabilities and learn about the 56th Fighter Wing’s pilot training mission.

  • President visits Charleston, addresses military members

    President George W. Bush visited servicemembers and talked about the war on terrorism July 24 at Charleston Air Force Base, S.C. The president toured a C-17 Globemaster III, observed Airmen loading pallets on a plane in support of operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom, gave a speech, and had

  • President visits Eielson

    President George W. Bush visited Eielson Air Force Base Aug. 4 to address base Airmen and the Soldiers of Fort Wainwright. His visit to Alaska was the first stop in an eight-day tour to Asia as the president meets foreign heads of state and will be on hand for the opening ceremonies at the Olympic

  • President visits Elmendorf Airmen

    President Barack Obama visited Elmendorf Air Force Base and spoke to more than 1,500 servicemembers and civilians Nov. 12 here.The president stopped at the base during his first visit to Alaska as is on his way to Japan, China, South Korea and Singapore on a multiday trip."Until today I had visited

  • President visits Phoenix, meets Luke Airmen

    Fifty-one Airmen from Luke Air Force Base met President Barack Obama at the 110th Veterans of Foreign Wars National Convention Aug. 17 in Phoenix. The base received an invitation from VFW officials for 50 Airmen to attend the opening session of the convention, as well as to hear the keynote speaker,

  • President visits troops, North Korea

    Reliving the historic moment, Trump addressed troops charged with maintaining stability in the region from all joint services under U.S. Forces Korea at Osan Air Base.

  • President, deployed Airman talk football on Thanksgiving

    “One hundred and twenty years ago, in the midst of a great and terrible civil conflict, President Lincoln formally proclaimed a national day of Thanksgiving to remind those ‘insensible to the ever watchful providence of almighty God’ of this nation’s bounty and greatness. Several days after the

  • President, first lady visit Langley AFB

    President Barack Obama made an official visit here Oct. 19 to speak to service members and invited guests to show his support for the American military, and address how he hopes to put more money in the pockets of working men and women. The visit was on the third day of Obama's American Jobs Act bus

  • President, military leaders dedicate Air Force Memorial

    On behalf of a grateful nation, the president of the United States accepted the Air Force Memorial in a dedication ceremony here attended by military leaders of the past and present, political and business representatives and thousands of ordinary citizens and Airmen alike. "A Soldier can walk the

  • President, senior leaders pay tribute to fallen

    President Barack Obama, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, and other senior leaders paid tribute to 30 fallen heroes here during a dignified transfer Aug. 9. The Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen were killed in action Saturday when the Army CH-47 Chinook helicopter went down in Afghanistan Aug. 6. Aboard

  • President, VA Secretary pledge support for Veterans

    President Barack Obama commemorated Veterans Day today here at Arlington National Cemetery, calling the holiday a reminder of the nation’s “sacred obligation” to those who have “fought for our freedom and stood sentry for our security” throughout America’s history.

  • Presidential award recognizes best installations

    Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates announced Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, as one of the five winners of the 2010 Commander in Chief's Annual Award for Installation Excellence April 9 here. The Commander in Chief's Annual Award for Installation Excellence recognizes the outstanding and

  • Presidential honor bestowed on AF officer

    When the President of the United States travels, stateside or abroad, there is an advance team who arrives weeks ahead to handle airport logistics. These team members, or agents, volunteer for the job and are the “best of the best” at what they do. That is why Maj. Francisco "Cisco" Leach, the 25th

  • Presidential letters processed quicker

    Airmen and civilian employees can now get presidential retirement letters processed more quickly through an information manager in the legislative liaison office at the Pentagon.People serving more than 30 years on active duty, as civilian employees, or a combination of both, can request a

  • Presidential Rank Awards presented to senior AF civilians

    Air Force officials recognized the career achievements of 20 senior civilians April 14 during the annual Presidential Rank Awards Ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery. "Our distinguished winners are products of a lifetime of dedication to their trade (and) the Air Force," said Secretary of the

  • Presidential Thank You

    President George W. Bush personally thanks Airman of the Texas Air National Guard 149th Fighter Wing and the 59th Medical Wing for their volunteer efforts in processing over 700 evacuees displaced due to Hurricane Gustav Sept.1 at Port San Antonio, Texas.

  • President's anniversary speech honors servicemembers

    The president of the United States honored servicemembers during a speech at the Pentagon March 19 to mark the five-year anniversary of Operation Iraqi Freedom. "We removed a tyrant," said President George W. Bush, "liberated a country and rescued millions from unspeakable horrors. Some of those

  • President's budget proposal includes 2.9 percent pay raise for troops

    President Barack Obama's fiscal 2010 budget proposal includes a 2.9 percent pay increase for U.S. servicemembers. The figure is lower than pay raises requested the past two years, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said Feb. 26. But he noted that Congress has a precedent of increasing the amount

  • President's defense budget submission delayed

    President Barack Obama's 2010 defense budget request will be delayed, possibly until April, White House and Defense Department officials said. The president's annual budget request usually is submitted to Congress the first Monday in February. However, with only a week in office, the new

  • President's plan likely to affect 2013 defense budget

    President Barack Obama's effort to seek additional savings within the Defense Department likely will affect the department's fiscal 2013 budget, Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell said April 13.The president announced that he plans to work with Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and Navy Adm.

  • Press briefing on ongoing Air Force investigation

    Senior Air Force officials will brief the press at 2:30 p.m. EST today in the Pentagon Briefing Room (2E973). Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James and Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Gen. Mark A. Welsh III, will provide an update on the status of Air Force investigations into allegations of

  • Press secretary reaffirms department's sequestration position

     Pentagon Press Secretary George Little reaffirmed Nov. 16 the Defense Department's position that devastating effects would result if pending defense spending cuts are doubled.Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta has laid out the consequences to the department if the Joint Select Committee on Deficit

  • Pressure sensitive paint could save millions of dollars

    The Arnold Engineering Development Center has reached a milestone with its pressure sensitive paint system. A recent demonstration test was conducted on the F-35 Lighting II joint strike fighter model installed in the center's 16-foot transonic wind tunnel. PSP applied to a joint strike fighter

  • Preventing the 'after-the-holidays bill blues'

    Walking through a shopping mall, it's difficult not to notice holiday decorations, crowded stores and retailers claiming to offer the best deals of the season. Before pulling out their wallets, Airmen are encouraged to keep a few things in mind to help prevent the "after-the-holidays bill blues."The

  • Prevention is the best medicine for enterovirus D-68

    With recent cases of the respiratory illness enterovirus D-68 being reported in multiple states within the U.S., doctors want to ensure all the members of the military community are informed and safe when confronting this illness.

  • Prevention, education key to winning war against HIV

    In the military's fight against HIV/AIDS, prevention is the key to winning the battle, said Dr. Judith Delmar, a staff physician with the Air Force's HIV program at Wilford Hall Medical Center. Speaking at the sixth annual international HIV/AIDS Strategic Planning and Policy Development course, the

  • Prevention, screening allow Airmen to come home healthy

    Surgeons general from the Army, Navy and Air Force testified before Congress on April 28 on the status of health care in the services. Air Force Surgeon General Lt. Gen. (Dr.) George Peach Taylor Jr. spoke to members of the Senate Appropriations Committee defense subcommittee. He said the Air

  • Preventive medicine keeps airmen on the job

    Expeditionary medicine is more than just medics treating trauma and illness at Camp Sather here.It is all about prevention for Staff Sgt. Nigesa Scales, a medical technician with the 447th Expeditionary Medical Squadron.“There is always the possibility of a disease being introduced to the area of

  • Price family glad to leave New Orleans

    Ralph Price Sr. had a smile on his face Sept. 3 when he and his family got off the C-9 Nightingale aircraft that brought him here from New Orleans.He and his family had finally escaped what he called “the hell-hole of New Orleans.” And, he said, the nightmare of the New Orleans airport.The waters

  • Price is right for Nellis Airman

    Watching the “Price is Right” game show faithfully for years, an Airman here was invited to “Come on Down,” for his chance to bid in contestants row.“It has been my dream to be on a game show,” said Senior Airman Roger Thomas, an information manager with Air Combat Command Training Support

  • Price of perfection: AF Honor Guard Drill Team

    A standard U.S. Air Force Drill Team performance features a professionally choreographed sequence of show-stopping weapon maneuvers, precise tosses, complex weapon exchanges, and a walk through the gauntlet of spinning weapons. Airman 1st Class Larry Brown has trained for more than a year for the

  • Priest tackles life at Tinker

    He is new at cooking, new at cleaning and relatively new at English, but the new chaplain here still counts his blessings.In his Midwest City apartment, the Chaplain (Capt.) Gildardo Garcia could not be happier."Here, I live like a king," he said.Hundreds of miles from his family in Colombia, Garcia

  • Prime BEEF aids in hurricane rebuild

    Airmen from all over the country have joined Tyndall Air Force Base on the road to recovery. For some, the call of duty comes from right next door. Airmen from the 23rd Civil Engineering Prime Base Engineer Emergency Force Squadron, Moody AFB, Georgia, narrowly escaped Hurricane Michael themselves

  • Prime BEEF exercise develops agile, multi-capable Airmen at Nellis AFB

    In steps to innovate and modernize the Department of Defense, approximately 200 Airmen assigned to the 99th Civil Engineer Squadron’s Prime Base Engineer Emergency Forces participated in an Agile Combat Employment exercise at Camp Cobra in Area II of Nellis Air Force Base Nov. 8-10.

  • Prime BEEF improves living conditions in Afghanistan

    Recently, a small team from the 577th Expeditionary Prime BEEF Squadron traveled to forward-operating bases to improve the quality of life for service members at combat outposts in Southeastern Afghanistan. Prime BEEF stands for Base Engineer Emergency Force, and these teams of laborers, made up of

  • Prime BEEF squadron combines Air Force, Army engineers

    In today's joint operating environment, service members from different military branches are routinely unified to complete a mission. The 467th Expeditionary Prime Base Engineer Emergency Force Squadron here combines Airmen and Soldiers to build facilities and structures needed throughout the entire

  • Prime BEEF stamps hoof prints on Gitmo

    Airmen from the 474th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron have started the process to transform Guantanamo's McCalla Airfield into an expeditonary legal complex here last month. The airfield resembles a military construction site in Iraq, complete with blowing dust, heavy equipment and a sprawling

  • 'Primetime Thursday' featuring Alaska Air Guard

    ABC News program "Primetime Thursday" features airmen of the Alaska Air National Guard's 210th Air Rescue Squadron and their part in the rescue of two climbers on Mount St. Elias. The climbers witnessed two other climbers in their party die on the mountain. The show is scheduled to air Jan. 16.The

  • Prince Sultan AB boosts CENTCOM AOR refueling capabilities

    Just 48 hours before the KC-135 from the 349th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron left Al Udeid Air Base to conduct refueling missions in the region, the 378th ELRS was given a task: To develop, build and sustain a rapid refueling capability at Prince Sultan Air Base. That’s exactly what they did.

  • Princeton review gives academy high marks

    The Air Force Academy ranks 18th in the nation in overall academic experience, according to the Princeton Review's "The Best 357 Colleges -- 2005 edition."The annual rankings hit the streets Aug. 17 and are the result of input from more than 110,000 students at 357 colleges.Students and cadets

  • Principal military official stops moves to Egypt

    Military officials have temporarily halted movement of personnel, to include permanent change of station moves and most temporary duty assignments to Egypt, due to the Department of State's ordered departure of all dependents and non-mission essential personnel from Egypt.The stop movement order,

  • Printing delay for enlisted guide won't delay promotion testing

    Distribution of the printed version of the 2011 Air Force Pamphlet 36-2241, Professional Development Guide, will be delayed until late December. Promotion cycles, including the upcoming 12E8 senior master sergeant promotion cycle Dec. 5-16, will not be affected by the distribution delay. The delay

  • Prior enlisted retirement restriction waiver requests due by June 1

    Prior enlisted officers with eight years of active duty commissioned time may be able to retire through the Air Force 10-8 Commission Waiver Program, which was originally announced last December, Air Force Personnel Center officials reminded Airmen today. "AFPC announced this program last December

  • Priorities are key to getting organized

    Short suspenses, miles of e-mail traffic and clocks that never slow down can present road blocks on the daily path to getting the mission done. Even so, Rowdy Yates, 78th Air Base Wing Lean change manager, said people can get more done daily with the right approach. "I believe the reason people feel

  • Priorities of AF acquisition outlined at symposium

    Dr. William A. LaPlante, the assistant secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, outlined the Air Force's top acquisition priorities during the Air Force Association’s annual Air Warfare Symposium and Technology Exposition Feb. 13, in Orlando, Florida.

  • Priority placement program serves employee, DOD needs

    Civilian employees adversely affected by actions such as transfer of function or base realignment and closure may be eligible for assistance through the Department of Defense Priority Placement Program. "The priority placement program sometimes conjures concern when mentioned, but it is one of the

  • Prior-service airmen receive SKT exemptions

    Prior-service airmen who do not possess the minimum required primary Air Force specialty skill level commensurate with their grade will now automatically receive a two-year exemption from taking the Specialty Knowledge Test during promotion fitness exams.The change will become effective with the

  • Privatization helping DOD meet housing goal

    With funding levels making it increasingly difficult to maintain acceptable housing conditions at many military installations, Defense Department officials in the mid-1990s turned management and maintenance of some 200,000 "below standard" quarters over to private firms."We knew that we would never

  • Privatized housing now available at Scott

    The Air Force closed a housing privatization deal recently at an Illinois base, bringing the total of privatized homes across the service to more than 16,000, said housing officials here. Scott Air Force Base, Ill., will benefit from $250 million in total development of 1,593 homes within the first

  • Pro baseball player spends day as Airman

    Major League Baseball pitcher Al Leiter swapped his New York Mets uniform May 24 for an Air Force flight suit to become a boom operator here for a day.While here, the left-hander who has played in three World Series and has 146 career wins, learned the ropes of refueling from Senior Airman Chardo

  • Pro Bowlers sign autographs for service members after practice

    After each Pro Bowl practice session at Earhart Field, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, Jan. 26, the players spent time with the servicemembers and their families by signing jerseys, helmets, footballs, towels and even surf boards.View the slideshow here.

  • Proactive Airmen get jump on passport process

    Airmen control the first steps to a successful passport process -- saving time, money and ensuring mission success downrange. The process to get the Department of State-issued document takes three to six weeks because of mailing, screening and coordination through official channels in Washington,

  • Probe finds Dover supervisors targeted whistleblowers

    The Office of Special Counsel has determined that supervisors at the U.S. Port Mortuary at Dover Air Force Base, Del., retaliated against four employees who tried to expose wrongdoing at the facility.Air Force Secretary Michael B. Donley said that he and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton A.

  • Proceedings delayed for translator

    The military judge appointed to preside over the court-martial case involving an Air Force translator has delayed the proceedings. The initial session of Senior Airman Ahmad I. Al Halabi’s court-martial was scheduled for Dec. 15. It has been postponed until Jan. 13 to allow resolution of questions

  • Process for validating reserve early-retired pay explained

    Air Reserve Personnel Center officials here are finalizing procedures for validating the receipt of retired pay before Citizen Airmen, both guardsmen and reservists, turn 60 years old.Since Jan. 28, 2008, Guard and Reserve Airmen can reduce the age they receive retirement pay by three months for

  • Process speeds up IT acquisition

    The Secretary of the Air Force implemented Information Technology Lean reengineering improvements slated for the information technology acquisition process last month. The Electronic Systems Center's Operations Support Systems Wing will begin to use the process immediately, with the Air Force-wide

  • Process strips paint off B-1s

    Layer by layer, a B-1 Lancer here sheds paint under a pressurized assault by tiny bits of plastic.It is the first aircraft at the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center to be stripped by the dry-media process in the high-tech facility used to remove paint.The medium is a mix of plastics, each with

  • Processing claims streaming online

    The Air Force Judge Advocate General's corps is consolidating the processing of certain claims, commonly known as personal claims, at a single location in Dayton, Ohio. These claims involve loss or damage during shipment of household goods and privately owned vehicles, as well as during storage at

  • Processing the evacuated

    As planes continue to leave Homestead Air Reserve Base, Fla., full of relief supplies bound for Haiti, a great number of planes return full of evacuees coming home. These people, many of them U.S. citizens or residents, must go through evacuation in-processing at Homestead ARB.Currently this process

  • Proclamation declares Gold Star Mother's Day today

    A proclamation issued by President George Bush Sept. 20 declares Sept. 24 as Gold Star Mother's Day. Since June 23, 1936, the last Sunday in September has been recognized as Gold Star Mother's Day, as established by to Senate Joint Resolution 115. "I call upon all government officials to display the

  • Proclamation kicks off Air Force Week Salt Lake City

    A proclamation officially naming June 1 through 7 as Air Force Week Salt Lake City was declared here June 1 during a ceremony on the steps of the Utah state capitol building. Attending the event were Utah Governor Jon Hunstman Jr., Secretary of the Air Force Michael B. Donley and Gen.

  • Proclamation officially opens Air Force Week Sacramento

    Air Force Week here officially began Sept. 8 with a proclamation ceremony on the steps of the California State Capitol Building. In attendance at the event were California Lieutenant Governor John Garamendi, Secretary of the Air Force Michael B. Donley, Gen. Arthur J. Lichte, commander of Air

  • Procurement initiative secures DOD computers, saves money

    Department of Defense officials are among those of dozens of departments and organizations who have improved security for their laptop computers and saved taxpayers more than $92 million by using a new procurement initiative, a senior Defense Department official said here. DOD and the General

  • Procurement mission at Hill transfers to DLA

    A June 17 activation ceremony at the Hill Aerospace Museum marked the transfer of 43 Air Force employees to the Defense Logistics Agency here. The employees, mostly contracting officers from the 448th Supply Chain Management Group, procure depot-level reparable aviation parts for Ogden Air Logistics