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  • Things are looking up at Arctic Air Base

    Recent missile threats to the United States have the military looking up to its northern most installation, Thule Air Base, Greenland. It’s there that the Air Force monitors the skies for missiles from its Arctic location strategically positioned at the halfway point between Washington, D.C. and

  • 386th ELRS moves thousands of passengers, cargo

    The Air Force is required to move hundreds of thousands of tons of cargo a year in support of military operations around the world. The importance of this mission is clear for the men and women who serve the 386th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron.

  • CMSAF focuses on resiliency in 2018

    Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force Kaleth O. Wright said he feels the Air Force is headed in the right direction concerning education and enlisted-force structure, but Airman resilience is an area that needs more attention.

  • Wellness for mission success – manage stress

    This is the second in a four-part series on how individual wellness contributes to mission success and why it’s beneficial for Reserve Citizen Airmen to preserve health, manage stress, create balance and find meaning.

  • Researchers test virtual reality Adaptive Flight Training Study

    A team of student researchers from Air Command and Staff College, Air University at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, conducted an Adaptive Flight Training Study Jan. 9-12, 2018, at Columbus AFB, Mississippi,to aid in the Air Force’s advancement in training and education through virtual reality.

  • First AFWERX storefront opens in Las Vegas

    Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson, along with guest of honor Vice President Mike Pence as well as the Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. David L. Goldfein, opened the AFWERX-Vegas storefront Jan. 11 at the Howard Hughes Center in Las Vegas.

  • Flying ambulances: Aeromedical evacuation

    The morning starts early with an alert about four hours before takeoff. Members of the 379th Expeditionary Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron begin several mandatory tasks before boarding the aircraft. Nurses go over mission details, as medical technicians pack more than a thousand pounds of equipment

  • AFJROTC launches Flight Academy program to address aircrew shortage

    Headquarters Air Force Junior ROTC has launched a program aimed at potentially putting more pilots in the cockpits of military aircraft to help address the Air Force’s ongoing aircrew shortage.Beginning in the summer of 2018, select AFJROTC cadets who applied for a new Fight Academy scholarship will

  • Volunteering with the Stars

    Tech. Sgt. Rebecca Place, 21st Medical Squadron primary care element noncommissioned officer in charge, and two other volunteers participated in Snowball Express in Dallas, Dec. 9-13, 2017. Snowball Express is an all-expenses paid event for children of fallen military members. This event is meant to

  • Air Force, Army, Navy personnel participate in joint training

    Members of the 41st Aerial Port Squadron and other Air Force, Army and Navy units teamed up for a joint training scenario called GRIP III Breaking Barriers Jan. 5-7, 2018, at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi and at the Gulfport Combat Readiness Training Center – Battlefield Airman Center.

  • Wellness for mission success

    Physical health is at the core of a person’s ability to complete their mission. If they are injured or sick, or exhausted, they might be able to show up and do work, but their effectiveness will be diminished.

  • EOD Airman receives Purple Heart

    More than 10 years after his injury, Tech. Sgt. Douglas Smits, 90th Civil Engineer Squadron explosive ordnance disposal team leader, received a Purple Heart medal at F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming, Jan. 5, 2018.

  • Basic Training to Al Udeid: Two Air Force careers reunited after 21 years

    It all started in 1996. One kid from Prattville, Alabama, and another from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, took a bus to Lackland Air Force Base, Texas. They were both a little scared and excited to become the U.S. Air Force’s newest Airmen. Though they grew up about 400 miles apart and spent six weeks

  • Delivering MRAPs safely downrange

    Delivering mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles downrange to U.S. troops is vital to their safety and overall mission success. Logistics Airmen at the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing show their commitment to making this happen safely every day.

  • Air Force saves Airmen time, no longer requires first year evaluations

    Air Force officials announced Jan. 4, 2018, Enlisted Performance Reports are no longer required for regular Air Force Airmen in the grade of airman first class and below with less than 36 months’ Time-In-Service or Air Reserve Component Airmen below the grade of senior airman.

  • Year-end review: 386th AEW remembers banner year

    As the world celebrated the passing of another year, and looked to the future with optimistic hope, the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing, and its leadership, reflected on its accomplishments.

  • Is there a medic onboard?

    While returning from leave, an Osan Air Base Airman sprang into action, saving the life of a fellow passenger mid-flight, Nov. 11, 2017.

  • Deployed parents see their children open toys

    Master Sgt. Shalenna Mitchell, 386th Air Expeditionary Wing finance budget analyst and Tech. Sgt. Randle Mitchell, 386th Expeditionary Civil Engineering Squadron assistant chief of fire prevention, share their experiences and feelings during the holiday season while deployed at an undisclosed

  • Air Force dual-military retention improves thanks to Airman’s idea

    The day comes when that final project is due for class. The project is ready and prepped for presentation or thrown together within twenty-four hours. Either way it has to be ready without delay. Despite being an academic project, sometimes there are cases where it could be implemented in real life.

  • Government charge card required for Air Force travel

    A recent change to a Defense Department travel instruction strengthens enforcement of an Air Force policy that requires travelers to use a Government Travel Charge Card, also known as an Individual Billing Account.

  • Air Force finance workshop offers training for technicians

    Financial customer service technicians from around the Air Force will visit San Antonio in late January for three days of training designed to enhance their skills and abilities to meet issues and challenges they face at base level finance offices.

  • Air Force selects 63 officers, civilians for test pilot school

    The Air Force has selected 63 primary and alternate students to attend training at the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Naval, British and French test pilot schools, with classes starting next summer.The selection board met in July and considered total force officer and civilian candidates for test pilot, test

  • SecAF visits Maxwell AFB, emphasizes importance of leadership

    Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson visited Maxwell Air Force Base, Dec. 11-13, 2017, to discuss some of her priorities with Airmen across the base.One of the main points Wilson underscored during her visit was that she and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David L. Goldfein view the squadron as

  • Blended Military Retirement System to take effect Jan. 1

    One of the most wide-reaching and significant changes to military pay and benefits over the last 70 years goes into effect Jan. 1 with the implementation of the Uniformed Services Blended Retirement System, known as BRS.

  • Helping Haiti’s children: 315th AW delivers school buses

    Reserve Airmen of Joint Base Charleston’s 317th Airlift Squadron, with support from three additional Reserve Airmen of the 514th Air Mobility Wing from JB McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, transported school buses in a C-17 Globemaster III from JB Charleston to Port-au-Prince, where they were

  • Military branches come together for combat training

    The 366th Fighter Wing is located in the middle of nowhere in southern Idaho, nearly an hour away from a large city. Not exactly the description of a place one would expect military forces from every U.S. service and foreign allies would be excited to visit. In reality, Mountain Home AFB’s

  • Advisor serves as career guidebook

    Hikers who climb a mountain without a guidebook could probably still reach the summit, but they might run into obstacles they could have avoided, or miss things like shortcuts and unique landmarks. Career assistance advisors are like a guidebook. They can help Airmen avoid obstacles, find the

  • Airman wins on and off the court

    The Airman’s Creed is a promise to the United States and a rallying cry for Airmen to remain the world’s greatest Air Force. The words, “My mission is to fly, fight and win,” hold true for 20th Air Force’s Tech. Sgt. Corey Rucker, a world champion who embodies the creed both professionally and

  • Finding the way: Special tactics chief awarded Silver Star

    Chief Master Sgt. Michael West, 24th Special Operations Wing special tactics operator, utilized 58 coalition aircraft delivering 24,000 pounds of munitions, turning the tide of battle, and now he’s receiving the Silver Star Medal.

  • Viper Patrol first layer of defense downrange

    Defenders of the 386th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron stand ready to protect lives and secure the installation in a deployed environment by going outside the wire each day as part of Viper Patrol.

  • Total force medical team transports Sailor home

    When a 34-year-old Navy Ssailor suffered multiple traumatic injuries during a mission in Syria, a Total Force team of medical professionals and mMobility Airmen sprung into action, intent on saving the life of a fellow service member.

  • AF names primaries, alternates for advanced studies

    Air Force officials announced the selection of 86 officers as primary or alternate participants for advanced studies at the nation’s advanced war fighting schools during the 2018-2019 academic year.

  • Operation Christmas Drop launches

    The 66th iteration of Operation Christmas Drop took to the sky Dec. 11, 2017 as military leaders ceremoniously pushed the first pallet of donated toys, food, supplies and educational materials into a C-130J Super Hercules at Andersen Air Force Base.

  • Airmen encouraged to update their vRED, SOES information

    Airmen should review and update their virtual Record of Emergency Data and their Servicemembers’ Online Election System information annually, before deploying and each time they experience a major life change, such as marriage or divorce, permanent change of station or birth of a child.

  • AF awards recognize pilot excellence

    With a continued focus on solving the pilot retention problem and maintaining air dominance, Air Force senior leaders look to celebrate the culture and flying expertise of their pilots.

  • Double take: Brothers’ bond extends far beyond twin upbringing

    It is well known that twins share a unique bond that transcends other sibling relationships. It’s common for twins to live, work and recreate within close proximity to each other throughout their lives.But for one pair of Air Force twins, they’ve taken that commonality several steps further.

  • Upgrades to missile detection radar earns civilian recognition

    Dr. Donald Hoying, the radar’s program manager at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado, leads a team of 50 military and government civilians and contractors who are working to upgrade these SSMs while improving the radar’s satellite, space-borne object and missile detection capabilities. In November,

  • 35th FW relocates for Vigilant Ace 18

    The 35th Fighter Wing relocated 18 F-16 Fighting Falcons and more than 280 personnel to participate in Vigilant Ace 18, an annual flying exercise at Osan Air Base, South Korea, occurring Dec. 4 - 8, 2017.

  • Airman lunges for knockout debut

    A Florida native, Tech. Sgt. Andre Penn, 20th Civil Engineer Squadron unaccompanied housing manager at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina, has been preparing for more than a decade to achieve his dream of becoming a professional boxer.

  • Evolution of the Airman Safety App

    The evolution of the Air Force Safety Center’s Airman Safety App reached an important milestone with recent software updates Dec. 1, 2017.This simple, web-based tool provides a streamlined process for all Airmen, their families and anyone accessing the base to report safety issues as they encounter

  • Chief Wright to Airmen: Know your retirement options

    If I had to pick just one thing I’m most passionate about as the Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force, without a doubt it would be taking care of our Airmen and their families professionally, physically, spiritually and financially. I’m a firm believer that these four things go hand in hand. In order

  • First Afghan UH-60 pilots graduate

    Six Afghan Air Force members became the first ever AAF UH-60 Black Hawk pilots, after graduation from Aircraft Qualification Training during a ceremony at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, Nov. 20, 2017.

  • Schoolhouse unites father, son for C-130 mission

    Mentors come in many forms, whether they’re coworkers, supervisors or even friends, they provide personal and professional advice that can impact someone for the rest of their lives. Airman Trevor Armentrout, 700th Airlift Squadron loadmaster, often receives guidance through one of his mentors, his

  • Hill AFB’s F-35A, Airmen mastering first Pacific deployment

    More than 300 men and women of the 388th and 419th Fighter Wings out of Hill Air Force Base, Utah and 12 F-35A Lightning IIs are conducting business for the next six months on the subtropical Japanese island of Okinawa during a deployment known as a Theater Security Package.

  • A commander’s story of survival

    The sound of tire treads rolling over a smooth driveway was the only sound that could be heard on the street Col. John Boudreaux lived when he and his wife, Susi, pulled up to it. Susi shoved the gear shift to “Park.” She couldn’t do it fast enough, and sat back in the seat for a moment. She

  • Air Guard dual mission: helping at home and abroad

    Not long ago, Airmen from the 158th Airlift Squadron, Savannah, Georgia, were delivering supplies with their fleet of C-130H Hercules to hurricane victims in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. But just a few weeks later, they find themselves on the other side of the world in Southwest Asia

  • AFRL-Carroll High School iGEM team earns Gold in Boston

    A Carroll High School academic team, mentored by CHS teachers and Air Force Research Laboratory scientists, earned a gold medal at the 2017 International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) competition in Boston, Nov. 9-13, 2017.

  • AETC welcomes new commander

    Members of Air Education and Training Command gathered as the guidon was passed from Lt. Gen. Darryl Roberson to Lt. Gen. Steven Kwast, signifying the formal transfer of authority and responsibility from one commander to another in a ceremony at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Nov. 16, 2017.

  • An Airman’s fight for terminally ill son

    November, Military Family Month, as designated by the Department of Defense, is a time to thank those who support service members for sacrifices that come with serving our country. For one Joint Base Charleston family, having a terminally ill child has required even more sacrifice, teamwork and

  • Defying odds: An Airman’s focused journey

    It is 5 a.m. and the sun has yet to rise on a chilly morning where all that can be heard are the crickets chirping at the Main Fitness Center at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina. Inside, however, the clacking and grunts of those pushing their bodies to their limits fills the room as Staff Sgt.

  • AFGSC wraps up innovation and technology symposium

    The 2017 Air Force Global Strike Command Innovation and Technology Symposium concluded today at the Shreveport Convention Center with a focus on leadership and the Airmen who make the mission happen. Retired Command Sgt. Maj. Patrick Alston, former U.S. Strategic Command command senior enlisted

  • AFPC offers follow-on option to Airmen taking short tours

    Airmen selected for a dependent-restricted short tour for their second or later assignments can voluntarily apply to participate in the Follow-On assignment program, providing them greater flexibility in the assignment process and greater stability for their families.

  • AU-ABC program expands enlisted education opportunities

    Airmen join the Air Force for a variety of reasons, but perhaps the most common is for the service’s vast educational opportunities. The Air University-Associate-to-Baccalaureate Cooperative program, or AU-ABC, is perhaps a little-known opportunity that can reap big rewards.The AU-ABC was created to

  • Ramstein AB Airmen honor U.S. veterans in Belgium

    Bad weather did not deter Airmen from Ramstein Air Base, Germany, from celebrating Veteran’s Day Nov. 11, 2017, at Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery and Memorial in Belgium. The ethereal curtain of fog and delicate rainfall only added to the poignancy of the ceremony.

  • ART of the mission: the air reserve technician

    The Air Force has a full complement of people working to accomplish the Air Force mission of fly, fight and win in air, space and cyberspace. The Air Force Reserve plays a vital role in this mission, supplying combat-ready forces to work alongside their active-duty counterparts in both wartime and

  • Speed drives Air Force, DoD innovation, improvements

    Speed is the crux of innovation and improvements the Defense Department will make to ensure the force is ready for any contingency, Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Stephen W. Wilson said at the Defense One Summit Nov. 9, 2017, in Washington, D.C.

  • Mental health expands services, reaches more Airmen

    The 386th Expeditionary Medical Group, with support from the 386th Expeditionary Operation Group, expanded mental health services recently to Airmen at an undisclosed location supporting ongoing operations in Syria.

  • Air Force recognizes veterans in blue

    Veterans in Blue 2017 is now available online. First launched in 2010, Veterans in Blue is a portrait collection showcasing men and women who have contributed to the security of our nation and the legacy of the Air Force.