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  • Overseas members entitled to stateside care

    Overseas military families may face a problem when they return home to the United States for the holidays. Service members and their families enrolled in the TRICARE Overseas Program (TOP) or TOP Prime Remote are entitled to visit hospitals and clinics stateside and receive the same priority

  • AF releases Form 910, implements forced distribution

    The revised Air Force Form 910, Enlisted Performance Report (airman basic through technical sergeant); and interim change 3 to Air Force Instruction 36-2406, “Officer and Enlisted Evaluation Systems,” have been published on the Air Force e-Publishing website.

  • Air Force revamping flight, operational medicine

    The Air Force Medical Service is restructuring flight and operational medicine by separating primary care and occupational medicine services into two distinct clinics, with the goal of improving care and creating more efficient and patient-centered workflows.

  • Top AF analysis performer recognized

    Kevin Williams, the director of Air Force Studies, Analyses and Assessments, presented the Lt. Gen. Glenn A. Kent Leadership Award to Jacqueline Henningsen during the fall Corona summit at the U.S. Air Force Academy on Nov. 4.

  • How we quit smokin'

    Major components of the Childers Filtration System include sets of filters, air hoses to and from the filter sets and oil drain tubing which send collected oil to a catch bottle, at Dover Air Force Base, Deleware. The CFS was created by a team led by retired Master Sgt. Michael Childers, the former

  • 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.

  • Airman achieves dream of U.S. citizenship

    Growing up in rural Tarlac province in the Philippines, Air Force Reserve Senior Airman Anne Venice Jalos, a finance manager with the 446th Airlift Wing here, never envisioned that at age 19 she would be serving in the U.S. military as a naturalized citizen.

  • Air Force acquisition lead moves to MITRE

    The Air Force announced Nov. 18 that Dr. William A. LaPlante, the assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition, is transitioning from government service to a senior position at the MITRE Corporation, a not-for-profit organization that operates federally funded research and development

  • The unstoppable Airman

    Airman 1st Class Tanya Brown was a fulltime everything three years ago -- beautician, livestock farmer, college student, wife and mother to four children. Then, not being one to shy away from a challenge, the 35 year old decided to join the Air National Guard.

  • 2016 FEHB open season effective through Dec. 14

    The 2016 open season for the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, the Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program, and the Federal Flexible Spending Accounts Program will run through Dec. 14.

  • Cadet research project designed to improve flight training

    Cadet researchers at the U.S. Air Force Academy are using the latest technology to improve pilot training. It's a seat. But it's not just any seat. It's a dynamic motion seat, a replica of a pilot seat with electric components that allow it to function like an actual crew seat and imitate the

  • Eglin crew chiefs advance with F-35

    As the Air Force continues to develop their newest fighter jet, the F-35 Lightning II, the 33rd Fighter Wing ensures the Airmen tasked with taking care of it receive the training they need to advance with it.

  • 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

  • Enlisted attaché duty applications due Nov. 15

    Active-duty staff through senior master sergeants interested in attaché duty opportunities with international affairs teams around the world must submit their applications by Nov. 15 to be considered.

  • DOD VOLED to hold virtual education fair Nov. 19

    In an effort to expand the reach of military voluntary education and help make higher education accessible for all service members, veterans and family members, the Defense Department’s Voluntary Education Program will host its first virtual education fair Nov. 19.

  • Eglin AFB wins 2015 federal energy award

    The award recognizes Eglin Air Force Base's innovative approach for combining advanced technologies and common sense to saving critical energy resources and reducing utility costs for the base.

  • 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

  • November is Warrior Care Month

    TRICARE is a health care program for uniformed service members, National Guard and Reserve members, retirees, survivors and their families around the world. We ensure our beneficiaries receive care that is proven both safe and effective. This month, make time to learn about all the health care

  • UK rescue squadrons to relocate to Italy

    The 56th and 57th Rescue squadrons from Royal Air Force Lakenheath, United Kingdom, are relocating to Aviano Air Base, Italy, starting in fiscal year 2017, Air Force leaders announced Nov. 6.

  • TRICARE young adult premiums to increase Jan. 1

    Premiums for the Military Health System’s benefit plan for adult children between 21 and 26 years old have been announced. The premiums for TRICARE Young Adult (TYA) program will increase on Jan. 1 to $306 per month for TYA Prime, and $228 per month for TYA Standard.

  • 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

  • Academy grad preps for second spacewalk

    A 1995 Air Force Academy graduate and astronaut aboard the International Space Station is scheduled to make his second walk in space at 7:10 a.m. EST Nov. 6.

  • Securing the future by Bending the Cost Curve

    Bending the Cost Curve, one of the 13 Make Every Dollar Count cost initiatives launched by the Air Force, includes a growing and evolving set of more than 20 acquisition reform activities. These activities are focused on finding ways the Air Force can be more effective at how it spends money to get

  • ‘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.

  • KC-46A equipment processing begins at McConnell

    Another step toward the KC-46A Pegasus flying over Kansas started late October as 22nd Logistics Readiness Squadron Airmen began paving an innovative path through the maintenance equipment review process.

  • AF announces KC-46A preferred, reasonable alternatives

    Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina, has been chosen as the preferred alternative for the first Reserve-led KC-46A Pegasus main operating base, Air Force officials announced Oct. 29. The KC-46As are expected to begin arriving in 2019.

  • Air Force set to launch next-to-last GPS IIF satellite

    Air Force Space Command's Space and Missile Systems Center and its mission partners are scheduled to launch the 11th Boeing-built Global Positioning System IIF satellite aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 401 launch vehicle Oct. 30 from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force

  • 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.

  • Air Force awards LRS-B contract

    The Air Force announced today the contract award of Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) and early production for the Long Range Strike Bomber to Northrop Grumman Corporation.

  • Peterson Airman’s tragic loss exemplifies resiliency

    After getting orders to South Korea, Tech. Sgt. Billy Gazzaway was missing his family, as anyone would. Far away from them, he received the horrible news that his 4-year-old son, who had already been diagnosed, treated and was in remission for leukemia, had relapsed.

  • Air Force releases new SAPR strategy

    Air Force leaders released a five-year Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Strategy that will guide the Air Force in developing a robust prevention model while continually honing response capabilities today.

  • Radar upgrades ensure situation awareness

    A Battle Management program to improve Air Force long-range radar systems recently reached full operational capability when all long-range sites were certified and deemed effective.

  • Cybersecurity, OPSEC vital to mission success

    Every day, Air Force organizations and personnel are reminded of the importance of operations security and cybersecurity, and how integrating them into day-to-day operations helps protect proprietary and sensitive information from disclosure, espionage and exploitation.

  • Airmen of New York's 109th AW begin Antarctic mission

    The takeoff of the New York Air National Guard's LC-130 Hercules ski-equipped aircraft here Oct. 16 marked the official start of the 109th Airlift Wing's 28th season of support to science research at the South Pole.

  • Moody honors fallen comrade

    Airmen, family and friends gathered at the Moody Air Force Base chapel to say their final goodbyes and honor the life of Tech. Sgt. Marissa Hartford during a memorial service Oct. 16.

  • War paint

    From conception to application, nose art has predominantly been the sole responsibility of aircraft maintainers. As the popularity of nose art peaked in World War II, professional illustrators were hired to paint the sides of aircraft. Generational and social changes have been mirrored in the

  • Air Force sets weight restrictions for F-35 pilots

    Air Force leaders recently made a decision to restrict pilots weighing less than 136 pounds from flying the F-35A Lightning II due to safety concerns about the ejection seat in a portion of the flight envelope.

  • 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.

  • Mental strength leads Airman through tough times

    Surviving an unstable upbringing in Pittsburgh, she never expected to be grabbing onto the Eiffel Tower in Paris at age 21. What started as watching scenes of this historic landmark in movies led her to envision a life beyond her childhood confinement. This was it, the height of her bucket list.

  • C-5M scoops up in-flight data for NASA

    Lockheed Martin and Travis Air Force Base officials recently recorded in-flight noise and vibration data onboard a C-5M Super Galaxy, ensuring the newly upgraded airframe was still compliant with NASA requirements.

  • Cut Training keeps maintenance mission moving

    The 354th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron has created a program called Cut Training to train Airmen from different maintenance career fields to perform crew chief tasks and keep the mission going.

  • Pegasus drogue, hose, boom systems deployed

    The KC-46A Pegasus notched another success this week when the systems at the heart of aerial refueling were demonstrated on EMD-2 with the deployment of both drogue systems and the boom.

  • Air Force testers cleared for Pegasus

    Now that Boeing has two aircraft -- one a 767-2C freighter and one a militarized KC-46A Pegasus tanker -- in the air, the program expects flight testing will really get off the ground.

  • 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.

  • SEJPME program completes transition to Joint Staff J-7

    The Joint Staff J-7 Joint Knowledge Online (JKO) Division in Suffolk, Virginia, has assumed responsibility for the Senior Enlisted Joint Professional Military Education (SEJPME) program, capping a year-long transition from the National Defense University.

  • A little flare: Solar observatory monitors sun’s activity

    Ninety-three million miles away from the Earth sits a fiery sphere of hot gas.It’s 332,946 times the mass of Earth and has surface temperatures reaching 9,932 degrees, which is capable of disrupting satellites, power grids and even pilots flying at high altitudes. The sun launches these attacks

  • 45th Space Wing supports ULA’s 100th Atlas launch

    The 45th Space Wing supported the United Launch Alliance's 100th launch, an Atlas V 421 rocket flying the Morelos-3 communications satellite for Mexico's Secretariat of Communications and Transportation on Oct. 2.

  • Acquisition general speaks on priorities, Should Schedule

    The Air Force Association hosted its monthly Air Force breakfast with keynote speaker Lt. Gen. Arnie Bunch, military deputy assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition, in Arlington, Virginia, Sept. 24.AFA’s AF Breakfast Program is a monthly series that offers a setting for senior Air Force

  • Command committed to saving energy, reducing costs

    Saving energy and reducing costs is something many people strive to do. When an energy bill exceeds $150 million, it becomes a necessity. The energy tab for U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces Africa for fiscal year 2013 was a whopping $157.5 million. Since 2003, energy costs have risen about

  • GPS III launch services proposal request released

    The Air Force released a final request for proposal on Global Positioning System III launch services Sept. 30 to cover launch vehicle production, mission integration and launch operations for the satellite mission set to start in 2018. Proposals are due back to the Air Force by Nov. 16 in accordance

  • 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

  • Families mark 20 years since tragic loss of AWACS crew

    On Sept. 22, 2015 -- 20 years after Yukla 27's final flight -- more than 150 friends and family members gathered in a frigid Alaska morning, having flown in from all over the world to honor the 24 crew members lost that day.

  • DFAS serves 21st century Airmen

    Maj. Gen. Mark Brown visited the Defense Finance and Accounting Service headquarters here Sept. 16, during the agency’s annual business meeting to speak about 21st century Airmen and how DFAS could help service today’s generation.

  • AF Secretariat releases CY 2016 selection board schedule

    The Air Force Selection Board Secretariat has released the calendar year 2016 selection board schedule. The schedule includes dates for master, senior master and chief master sergeant evaluation boards, senior NCO supplemental evaluation boards, officer selection boards and the command screening

  • 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

  • From Army Air Corps to US Air Force, 70-plus years later

    In 1944, a year before the end of World War II, a 17-year-old Cambridge, Massachusetts, native and recent high school graduate was hired as a clerk-typist by the government to support the war effort -- only after her father signed a letter of permission. Now 71 years later, Maria Bandouveres, the

  • Building Afghan air force command, control hub from ground-up

    Imagine an orchestra without a conductor. The tempo would be off, the performers with their instruments would not be on the same sheet of music, and the melody would be unpleasant to the ear. Now imagine an Air Force base without a wing operations center, the command and control center for emergency

  • Defense undersecretary addresses ‘Better Buying Power 3.0’ at SMC

    Frank Kendall, the undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology, and logistics, spoke to a packed audience of several hundred from the Space and Missile Systems Center during an all call held in the Gordon Conference Center at the Schriever Space Complex Aug. 27

  • 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

  • AF leadership talks total force

    Members of senior leadership from the active-duty Air Force, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve, as well as the principal deputy to the secretary of the Air Force for manpower and reserve affairs, convened for a discussion panel regarding the status of the total force at the Air Force

  • AF family: Like mother, like daughter

    When Senior Airman Kara Watts was a college student and searching for inspiration, she said she only had to look as far as her mother's military service.

  • LaPlante receives W. Stuart Symington Award

    The Air Force Association presented Dr. William J. LaPlante the W. Stuart Symington Award at an Air Force anniversary dinner Sept. 16 at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in Washington D.C.