NATO Air Policing operations

U.S. Air Force News

  • 20th CSAF portrait unveiled

    A painting of retired Gen. Mark A. Welsh III, the 20th Air Force chief of staff, was unveiled during a ceremony at the Pentagon, Sept. 14, 2017.

  • JET/IA Airmen connect blue line back to AF

    The 387th Air Expeditionary Squadron is a small unit. With about 10 assigned staff, and 20 quick-response aerial port Airmen, they have a small footprint. Their reach, however, is far more expansive than meets the eye. They have the responsibility of providing all levels of administrative support to

  • Air Force announces 100 percent promotion opportunity to major

    In the latest move to restore the Air Force’s readiness and lethality, senior leaders are taking a closer look at officer performance management with a focus on developing leaders and retaining the talented professionals the service needs.

  • Nellis AFB to support Hurricane Irma rescue operations

    In mid-afternoon Sept. 8, 2017, the 66th Rescue Squadron and 823rd Maintenance Squadron assigned to Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, received a call from U.S. Northern Command to ready teams to support the Federal Emergency Management Agency search and rescue efforts in the Florida Keys following the

  • US, Nepal team up for disaster response training

    Ten U.S. Air Force air advisors from the 36th Contingency Response Group, Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, embarked on a journey over 4,000 miles away from their tropical duty station to the mountainous country of Nepal, where they participated in a subject-matter expert exchange with 20 members from

  • Rescue assets preposition for Hurricane Irma relief

    Moody Air Force Base aircraft and rescue assets relocated to Columbus AFB, Mississippi, Sept. 9, 2017, before Hurricane Irma’s arrival.The aircraft and rescue assets will remain at Columbus AFB before re-engaging with other Moody AFB assets to assist the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and

  • AF senior leaders visit Arctic

    Air Force senior leaders from Headquarters Air Force and major commands visited multiple locations in the Arctic region Sept. 7-13, 2017, to better understand the challenges of operating in the region.

  • Airmen, family feedback sought for community resources

    The Air Force invites all Airmen and their dependents to participate in the 2017 Air Force Community Feedback Tool survey which runs through Oct. 2, 2017.The volunteer survey collects feedback directly from the total force and their spouses about their community needs. Those surveyed identify gaps

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

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

  • AFNORTH wraps up Hurricane Harvey ops, looks East to Irma

    As Hurricane Harvey slammed into coastal Texas the last week of August, Houston and the surrounding area were pounded with unprecedented amounts of rain – experiencing 50 inches of rain in a matter of days. That is more than the annual average for the region.

  • Writer, Airman finds beauty through adversity in flowers

    “Beauty comes in different forms. When we see beauty, we assume that it had a great life; but there is more than meets the eye. Even the most beautiful soul comes from a place of hardship and sorrow. There are many tragedies that happen to us all; whether it is domestic abuse or sexual trauma, we

  • Time Tested: Airman serves 21 years on same aircraft

    Since entering active military service in 1956, the C-130 Hercules has earned its place in the storied history of air power, time and time again. From Vietnam all the way up through Operation Inherent Resolve, the C-130 has always made a name for itself by providing critical airlift.For Master Sgt.

  • Aeromedical team at Scott AFB joins response to Hurricane Harvey

    Scott Air Force Base joined humanitarian relief efforts by mobilizing the 375th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron, Aug. 30, 2017, in the wake of catastrophic Hurricane Harvey, which has caused historical and life-threatening flooding in the states of Texas and Louisiana.

  • Keesler AFB medical team supports hurricane relief effort

    An Air Force Critical Care Air Transport Team, and a supporting logistics team, from Keesler Air Force Base arrived at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Aug. 30, 2017, to support the Hurricane Harvey relief efforts.

  • Dobbins ARB hosts EOD teams, tests new technology

    Dobbins Air Reserve Base hosted the Eastern National Robot Rodeo Aug. 21-25, 2017, which featured explosive ordnance disposal teams from the Air Force, Navy, Army, Cobb County Police Department and the Royal Air Force.

  • Enlisted promotion advanced notification to squadron commanders extended

    Creating a quick win for squadron commanders, the Air Force’s Personnel Center now grants senior raters and senior rater trusted agents access to enlisted promotion selects lists via the virtual Enlisted Promotion Release system one full calendar week in advance of the public release date.

  • 774th EAS conducts first combat airdrop in more than two years

    Months of planning and weeks of preparing culminates to an airdrop lasting a few seconds. While the time and effort that goes into planning a combat airdrop may seem long for something that lasts less than a minute, for the ground troops, the equipment they received will have a lasting impact.

  • Around the Air Force: Aug 29

    On this look Around the Air Force, Air National Guard Airmen support Hurricane Harvey relief efforts and the Air Force has three new initiatives to retain pilots.

  • Cyberspace critical to nuclear treaty monitoring

    The Air Force Technical Applications Center here is charged with ensuring each and every nation across the globe complies with the ban on nuclear weapons testing, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Members of AFTAC answer that call without fail – monitoring nuclear treaty compliance is their

  • Accepting the challenge

    Airman 1st Class Colby Morin, a member of the 66th Security Forces Squadron, volunteered to attend the U.S. Marine Corps’ Lance Corporal Seminar during a deployment to Southeast Asia.

  • Revitalizing the squadron: Support Squadron enables airpower at KAF

    A successful air campaign requires more than just aviators and maintainers—it needs Airmen to support every facet of airpower.Within the 451st Air Expeditionary Group, at Kandahar Airfield, there is a squadron designed to organically provide necessary support to project airpower in the region.

  • SecAF speaks to JAG Airmen

    Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson addressed Judge Advocate General Corps Airmen during the 2017 Horizons Summer Conference, Aug. 28, 2017, in Falls Church, Virginia.

  • It takes a village to deploy a warfighter

    Air Force Airmen prepare to deploy across the globe in support of national objectives every day. To make this possible, installation deployment readiness cells and the unit deployment managers prepare and process members for deployment to unified combatant commands.

  • Two-week summit takes aim at aircrew retention

    The Aircrew Crisis Task Force hosted a two-week aircrew retention summit here as part of a holistic approach to improve readiness and capacity by increasing retention of experienced aviators Aug. 14-25, 2017.

  • CJTF-OIR mission brings twin brothers together during deployment

    Throughout the history of the military it has remained common for generations of men and women to follow in their family members’ footsteps and serve their country proudly. It’s also not unheard of for siblings to join together and serve together.

  • Paper or Plastic? CSAF returns to Ramstein roots

    Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David L. Goldfein recently visited the Ramstein Air Base Commissary, but this was not his first time here. As a teenager, he worked as a bagger in the 1970s while his family was stationed at Ramstein Air Base.

  • Airmen, Sailors prepare to support F-35 at sea

    Two Petty Officers 1st Class from the USS Abraham Lincoln received initial training from the Air Force’s 33rd Maintenance Squadron’s Aerospace Ground Equipment, or AGE, flight at Eglin Air Force Base, Aug. 7-11, 2017.

  • SecAF, CSAF visit 386 AEW, talk top priorities with Airmen

    Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David L. Goldfein visited the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing at an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia Aug. 19-20, 2017, to talk top priorities with Airmen.

  • AFIT prepares nuclear enterprise to deal with any scenario

    With talk of nuclear weapons returning to Americans’ everyday conversations, it might be excusable for the average person to think that the technology somehow had left the mainstream; this couldn’t be further from the truth.

  • AF Week in Photos

    This week's photos feature Airmen from around the globe involved in activities supporting expeditionary operations and defending America. This weekly feature showcases the men and women of the Air Force.

  • AFNWC expert wins AFA Welch award

    The Air Force Association recently honored an Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center colonel with the 2017 Gen. Larry D. Welch-Officer Award.

  • Around the Air Force: Aug. 18

    On this look Around the Air Force Airmen at Hill Air Force Base , Utah, fly F-35A Lightning IIs in support of exercise Combat Hammer, Airmen at Misawa Air Base, Japan, train with Japanese Pararescuemen for exercise Cope Angel, and the promotion results for staff sergeant are in. Hosted by Staff.

  • New equipment gives Airmen time to breathe

    After a pilot completes their Initial Aerospace Physiology Training they occasionally go through a refresher course to maintain their flying status. In order to complete the course aircrew work with the 9th Physiological Support Squadron for a variety of reasons, including a hypoxia demonstration.

  • Iceman born abroad

    (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.)Driving in the dead of night, 5-year-old Ivan Alandzak remembers seeing soldiers laying in ditches, random check points and tanks everywhere.

  • New Air Force Space Operations Directorate achieves operating capability

    The Air Force selected the senior civilian and mobilization assistant for the deputy chief of staff for Space Operations directorate, or "AF/A11," Aug. 17, 2017. Mr. Shawn Barnes will serve as the assistant deputy chief of staff for Space Operations, and Maj. Gen. Pamela Lincoln has been named as

  • 1st ASTS provides critical support for Minotaur launch at Cape

    The 1st Air and Space Test Squadron at Vandenberg Air Force Base will be assisting with the first ever Minotaur IV launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. The 1st ASTS team coordinated the transport for the first three stages of the engine to Cape Canaveral AFS where they will provide

  • ATOC works around the clock to keep cargo and personnel moving

    Maintaining the inbound and outbound movement of cargo and personnel in support of Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve requires careful coordination between a multitude of entities. In order for the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing to effectively complete its mission and deliver

  • Air Force selects 14,181 for promotion to staff sergeant

    Air Force officials have selected 14,181 senior airmen for promotion to staff sergeant out of 32,006 eligible, a selection rate of 44.31 percent. The staff sergeant promotion list will be available on the Air Force Portal and myPers Aug. 24, at 8 a.m. CDT. Airmen will also be able to access their

  • Celebrating Air Force heritage: The “Great Centennial” squadrons

    This calendar year has marked many great anniversaries, including the 75th anniversary of Air Training Command and the 70th anniversary of the Air Force. August marks the 110th anniversary of the Aeronautical Division of the Sign Corps—an unbroken line of Airmen began with its creation on Aug. 1,

  • AFSPC initiative destroys barriers to bolster Airmen innovation

    In a move to encourage Airmen to come forward with innovative thinking, a new decision panel will allow Airmen at all levels within Air Force Space Command to present ideas that could enhance the mission, save time, increase customer satisfaction, save the Air Force money, or anything that can

  • 182nd CES finishes construction rotation at Crow Reservation

    Thirty-five Airmen with the Illinois Air National Guard's 182nd Civil Engineer Squadron completed their two-week annual training constructing homes for Crow Tribe veterans Aug. 6, 2017 in Crow Agency, Montana.The Peoria-based squadron provided services including drywall, windows, doors, siding,

  • Air Force welcomes new undersecretary

    In 1977, Matthew Donovan left for Air Force Basic Military Training. Four decades later on Aug. 11, 2017, at the Pentagon, he ceremoniously recited the oath of office to be the undersecretary of the Air Force.

  • AF Reserve medics stay sharp with Exercise Avian

    Approximately 100 Reserve Airmen from the 413th Aeromedical Staging Squadron out of Robins Air Force Base, Ga., traveled to Dobbins Air Reserve Base Aug. 4-6, 2017, to participate in the first Exercise Avian.

  • Hack the Air Force results released

    The results are in for Hack the Air Force, the “white-hat hacker” bug bounty program designed to better secure Air Force online assets that ran May 30-June 23, 2017.

  • CMSAF underscores leadership’s role in developing Airmen

    Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force Kaleth O. Wright visited Joint Base San Antonio July 31 to Aug. 4, 2017, during an immersion to view Air Education and Training Command’s role forging innovative Airmen to power the world’s greatest Air Force.

  • 8th Fighter Squadron reactivated after six years

    A pilot strides forward, his green flight suit a stark contrast to the pale blue of a desert morning sky. An insignia, circled in gold and donning a sheep with a wool coat black as night, is stitched atop his right breast. He hikes up a ladder, hands gripping steel and hops into the cockpit of an

  • 505th CCW hosts multi-domain C2 joint exercise

    The 505th Command and Control Wing hosted subject matter experts from around the world during a ground-breaking exercise here July 17-21, 2017, focused on developing the concept of multi-domain command and control.

  • Portraits in Courage Airmen honored during concert

    The National Anthem, followed by an A-10 and F-16 flyover and the U.S. Air Force Honor Guard Drill Team, kicked off the Air Force’s final Heritage to Horizons summer concert at the Air Force Memorial Aug. 4, 2017. The theme for the special event was “Portraits in Courage.”

  • Air Force to radically reduce instructions

    Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson announced the Air Force will rescind, review and rewrite the more than 1,300 Air Force Instructions over the next 24 months in order to allow greater flexibility and mission focus.

  • Enlisted Students Earn Advanced Degrees at AFIT

    In 2002, then Secretary of the Air Force, Dr. James Roche, championed an initiative to open Air Force Institute of Technology’s Graduate School of Engineering and Management to senior enlisted personnel.  Secretary Roche truly believed in the importance of the enlisted force to military achievements

  • Airmen in developmental special duties epitomize leadership, core values

    Air Force officials filled 770 positions across nine developmental special duties, or DSDs, for spring 2017. The DSD nomination process occurs twice each year and is designed to fill specific special duties the Air Force has acknowledged as developmental due to their unique requirements. Commanders

  • Air Force Sergeants Association encourages, informs Airmen

    Servant leadership was the overarching theme at the 2017 Air Force Sergeants Association International Convention Professional Airmen’s Conference held July 22-27 in Reno, Nevada. Several guests of honor attended the annual event, including Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson, former

  • Air Force senior leaders unveil new priorities

    In a recent letter to the Total Force, Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David L. Goldfein and Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force Kaleth O. Wright released their new priorities and addressed issues Airmen face day to day.

  • SECAF talks Light Attack Experiment, innovation at AFA dinner

    While speaking at an Air Force Association event in Arlington, Va., Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson highlighted the four aircraft that Air Force pilots will fly through a range of combat mission scenarios in the Light Attack Experimentation Campaign at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico

  • AF opens retraining to second term, career Airmen

    The Air Force has announced the Noncommissioned Officer Retraining Program for fiscal year 2018 and will update the number of slots available on the retraining advisory on or about Aug. 2, 2017.

  • Tuskegee Airman trail blazes through history

    In the early 20th century the military was a different experience for some.Among those members was U.S. Air Force retired Chief Master Sgt. James Cotten, a Tuskegee Airman, who was drafted at the age of 18 in 1945.

  • In harm’s way: Providing spiritual support

    Thousands of feet above Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, two Airmen, riding in a helicopter, wearing more than 75 pounds of gear, hover around the city before landing. These Airmen are not pararescuemen or tactical air control party—they’re a chaplain and chaplain assistant. After landing, they

  • AF Week in Photos

    This week's photos feature Airmen from around the globe involved in activities supporting expeditionary operations and defending America. This weekly feature showcases the men and women of the Air Force.

  • Total Force Airmen maximize refueling capacity in Europe

    In a long-standing total force partnership between Air Force Reserve Command and U.S. Air Forces in Europe, members of the 507th Air Refueling Wing are augmenting the 100th Air Refueling Wing here to provide KC-135R Stratotanker mid-air refueling support to the European theater of operations, July