HomeNews

NATO Air Policing operations

U.S. Air Force News

  • Lancer crews describe B-1 missions over Iraq

    B-1B Lancers, combining the latest in technology with old-fashioned elbow grease, are taking the air war of Operation Iraqi Freedom to regime and military targets in every inch of that country.Four members of the 405th Air Expeditionary Wing described their mission to Pentagon reporters in a March

  • Smallpox vaccine program extends to 'emergency essential' civilians

    Civilian employees deployed to fill emergency-essential positions at selected overseas locations are now required to receive the smallpox vaccine, Pentagon officials said.According to Col. Rainer Stachowitz, deputy director of the nuclear and counter proliferation directorate at the Pentagon,

  • Mission support

    Staff Sgt. Jennifer Shockley volunteers at the laundry facility at a forward-deployed air base in Southwest Asia. Since the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom, servicemembers from different organizations have taken over the duties of non-U.S. civilians who are no longer permitted on base. With more

  • Coalition pilots strike satellite guidance jammers

    Coalition airmen struck Iraqi equipment used to jam satellite guidance systems March 24, according to defense officials.B-1B Lancers and F-117 Nighhawks bombed six Global Positioning System jammers during coalition strikes. Iraq was using the jammers in an attempt to disrupt the guidance system of

  • Iraq flouting laws of war, Geneva Conventions

    The Iraqi regime is flouting the laws of war and the Geneva Conventions, said Pentagon spokeswoman Victoria Clarke at the news conference today.Clarke said that the deceptions have been so blatant "that some liken it to terrorism.""They are sending forces out carrying white surrender flags or

  • A somber moment

    Army Chaplain (Col.) Richard Rogers leads a prayer March 25 for six airmen killed when their HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter crashed near Ghazni, Afghanistan, on March 23. The helicopter crew was on its way to pick up two Afghan children for treatment in U.S. medical facilities at Bagram Air Base. The

  • Bush calls wartime supplemental budget request 'urgent'

    The president said today his $74.7 billion wartime supplemental budget request is urgent and "directly related to winning this war and to securing the peace that will follow this war."President Bush visited the Pentagon and told a roomful of senior defense officials that the money, once appropriated

  • Air war turns focus to republican guard

    As the U.S.-led war against the Iraqi regime nears the one-week mark, officials from U.S. Central Command said March 25 that coalition air forces have begun narrowing their focus.Maj. Gen. Victor E. Renuart Jr., CENTCOM director of operations, told reporters during a press briefing at the command's

  • Reserve taps 776 for promotion to major

    Air Reserve Personnel Center officials here selected 776 captains for promotion to major, they announced March 25.The officers were selected from the 2004 Air Force Reserve line and health professions major promotion selection boards held at the center Feb. 3 to 7.Board members reviewed the records

  • Coalition on track, forces 'flowing' into Iraq

    After five days of ground combat, coalition forces are more than 200 miles into Iraq and poised to take on forces defending Baghdad, DoD leaders said today.Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force Gen. Richard Myers told reporters at a Pentagon press

  • Two Apache pilots missing; progress against Baghdad 'rapid'

    Two American Apache helicopter crewmen are missing in action as coalition forces continue to pound Iraqi Republican Guard units ringing Baghdad, Army Gen. Tommy Franks said today in Qatar.Franks, the combined forces commander, said coalition forces are operating throughout Iraq and that "progress

  • Brrrr...

    Senior Airman Josh Swisher guards an entry control point to the KC-10 Extender parking area at a forward-deployed location. The 409th Air Expeditionary Group flies air-refueling missions supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Dave Ahlschwede)

  • Pilots face increasing ground threats

    Coalition pilots have not yet had to face the intense air defenses over Iraq they had to deal with during the Gulf War.Still, the Iraqis fire on coalition aircraft on every mission, an A-10 Thunderbolt II pilot with five combat missions in Operation Iraqi Freedom said. And as coalition forces

  • Officials discuss progress of air war

    As the number of sorties flown by coalition air forces in Operation Iraqi Freedom reaches into the thousands, officials from U.S. Central Command said March 24 they were pleased with the results of those efforts.Army Gen. Tommy Franks, CENTCOM commander, told reporters during a press briefing at the

  • Air Force announces maintenance award winners

    Air Force officials recently announced the winners of the 2002 Lt. Gen. Leo Marquez Maintenance Awards, along with the 2002 Maintenance Effectiveness Awards.The winners of the Lt. Gen. Leo Marquez Maintenance Awards are:For aircraft maintenance:-- Field Grade Manager: Maj. David M. Coley, Travis

  • Secretary, chief address Operation Iraqi Freedom

    The following is a joint message from Secretary of the Air Force Dr. James G. Roche and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John P. Jumper:"As our nation calls upon its armed forces to meet this next challenge in the war on terrorism, the men and women of the U.S. Air Force will play a pivotal role in

  • Air Force offers special war news Web site

    The Air Force has a special Operation Iraqi Freedom Web site highlighting the service news and photos from forward-deployed locations covering Air Force support of the war in Iraq.This site is in addition to daily Air Force-wide news featured at www.af.mil."We want to give people one easy access

  • Three deployed airmen featured on MTV

    Three airmen supporting war operations at a forward-deployed location have been featured on "MTV Diaries," a reality series that airs weekly on the international music TV channel.Senior Airman Tia Schroeder, a still photographer with the 405th Expeditionary Communications Squadron, and Airman 1st

  • Making 'em smarter

    Airman 1st Class Richard Ludlum prepares an MK-84 "dumb bomb" for transition to a GBU-31 Joint Direct Attack Munition "smart bomb." Four components are added to the MK-84 turning it into a precision Global Positioning System-guided weapon. Ludlum is assigned to the 5th Expeditionary Maintenance

  • B-52 pilot still flying high after 33 years

    During the evacuation of Quang Tri in 1972, 1st Lt. Bill Jankowski, an O2-A pilot, flew out of DaNang Air Base, Vietnam, to find enemy targets and bring air support assistance to South Vietnamese who were resisting North Vietnamese. Quang Tri had Americans within the area, and Jankowski's role was

  • Voluntary departures from Incirlik end

    Nearly 1,300 family members and nonmission-essential civilian employees packed up, processed and departed Incirlik Air Base, Turkey, March 20 to 22 as U.S. and coalition forces began Operation Iraqi Freedom.Five contracted commercial aircraft flew people from Incirlik to Charleston, S.C., where they

  • Hurry and wait

    More than 250 soldiers from the 720th Military Police Battalion based at Fort Hood, Texas, relax at the tent city here during a stop on their way to support contingency operations. In all, more than 1,300 troops gathered here March 21 to 22, filling the tent city, contingency billeting and fitness

  • Wounded arrive in Germany

    Tech. Sgt. John Schiffhauer (right) of the 932nd Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron at Scott Air Force Base, Ill., and members of the 86th Aeromedical Staging Facility here unload a wounded soldier from a C-141 Starlifter on March 24. Twelve soldiers wounded during Operation Iraqi Freedom were

  • Six airmen die in helicopter crash

    An Air Force HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter crashed near Ghazni, Afghanistan, on March 23, killing all aboard, said Combined Joint Task Force 180 officials at Bagram Air Base.Six airmen died in the crash, task force spokesman Army Col. Roger King said. Names of the dead are being withheld pending

  • Coalition leaflets provide safety instructions to civilians

    Coalition aircrews dropped more than 1 million informational leaflets into Iraq on March 23 providing a variety of messages, including instructions to Iraqi civilians and military troops about how to stay safe during coalition military activities.The leaflets are part of an ongoing effort to inform

  • Bush Pleased With Progress, Expects Iraq to Treat POWs Humanely

    President Bush is pleased with progress the military is making in the early stages of the war to rid Iraq of its weapons of mass destruction, he said during a press availability at the White House.Bush said it is going to take awhile to achieve the objective, "but we're on course, we're determined,

  • Eye spy

    An F-16 Fighting Falcon pilot assigned to the 410th Air Expeditionary Wing at a forward-deployed location checks his night vision goggles before a mission. Aircraft from the wing flew missions on "A-Day" of Operation Iraqi Freedom. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Bennie J. Davis)

  • Bombers away

    B-2 Spirit bombers take off from a forward-deployed location March 21 to fly to an Operation Iraqi Freedom mission. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Janice Cannon)

  • First Predator strike takes out anti-air threat

    A U.S. Air Force MQ-1 Predator found and destroyed a radar-guided anti-aircraft artillery gun in southern Iraq March 22 making it the first Predator strike of Operation Iraqi Freedom, defense officials announced.The multirole Predator used one AGM-114K "Hellfire II" missile to strike an Iraqi

  • Iraq Campaign to Get Tougher as Troops Approach Baghdad

    U.S. and coalition forces have made great gains so far during Operation Iraqi Freedom, but the going will likely get harder in coming days.Air Force Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, delivered that message today on the Fox News Sunday television show."Anybody who thinks this

  • Protesters offer training for security

    Security forces here responded to nearly 50 protesters at a base gate March 22 and arrested three.Another group of military supporters gathered at the gate to lend their encouragement to the base and its people.During the weeks leading up to the protest, groups informed the base they would exercise

  • Officials urge against unsolicited troop mail

    To bolster force protection, the general public is urged not to send unsolicited mail, care packages or donations to forward-deployed servicemembers unless they are a family member, loved one or personal friend, said Department of Defense officials.On Oct. 30, DOD suspended the "Operation Dear Abby"

  • Ammo airmen build munitions for war

    After two weeks of waiting, munitions airmen at a forward-deployed location began working day and night building M-117 and 85 GBU-31 Joint Direct Attack Munitions for the "shock and awe" phase of the war in Iraq.Arriving at this location March 6, members of the 5th Expeditionary Maintenance Squadron

  • Life support provides keys to success

    When aircrews find themselves in a pinch, they rely on experience and equipment to pull them through. Gaining experience is the crew's responsibility, but the 353rd Special Operations Group life support shop airmen provide a multitude of gadgets and gizmos that allow air commandos to get their job

  • Medics keeping troops fit, healthy, ready

    Medics assigned to the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing at this forward-deployed location are helping to ensure that the airmen here stand ready for action when called upon.The combat field hospital where the medics spend their days not only serves the needs of the thousands of men and women who are

  • Predator helps in ground war success

    Flying over coalition troops racing toward Baghdad, RQ-1 Predators are providing ground commanders up-to-the-second information on what lies ahead.That is helping make the ground war a success by minimizing coalition troop losses, said Predator pilot Capt. Traz Trzaskoma by telephone."We immediately

  • American Units Meet Opposition, Still Ahead of Schedule

    Coalition forces are encountering greater Iraqi resistance as they move closer to Baghdad, U.S. Central Command officials said today.News reports indicate that American units are engaging Iraqi battalions. Central Command officials said units with the 3rd Infantry Division have captured a bridge

  • Checking it out

    Senior Airman Adam Kruse communicates with a pilot about to take off on a mission March 20. Kruse is a crew chief deployed to the 363rd Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron at a forward-deployed location in Southwest Asia. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Matthew Hannen)

  • U.S. Soldiers 'Unaccounted For' in Iraq

    Some U.S. soldiers in Iraq are "unaccounted for," Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld told CNN today.Iraqi television videotape purports to show U.S. service members captured by Iraqi forces. Al Jazeera - a satellite news network based out of Doha, Qatar - broadcast the tape."Whether the ones that

  • Some Incirlik people return to United States

    The first of several flights contracted to bring more than 1,300 Air Force family members and nonmission-essential civilian employees from Incirlik Air Base, Turkey, arrived at Charleston International Airport, S.C., on March 21.Armed with teddy bears, cell phones and dog biscuits, more than 100

  • Rumsfeld reminds people about operational security

    When Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld started talking about the need to safeguard classified information, the studio staff flashed a World War II poster on the television.It was a picture of a young girl holding a picture of her father. The legend on it was "Don't kill her Daddy with Careless

  • Franks: Iraq Campaign Is 'Unlike Any Other in History'

    U.S. and coalition forces will liberate Iraq, end Saddam Hussein's regime and find and confiscate the dictator's weapons of mass destruction, Operation Iraqi Freedom's senior military commander said today.At just under three days' action, American and coalition forces are conducting simultaneous

  • Stealth fighters use new munitions to hit Baghdad

    U.S. Air Force F-117 stealth fighters struck five strategic targets in Baghdad on March 21 using a new precision-guided munition, the EGBU-27, as coalition forces shifted the Operation Iraqi Freedom air campaign into high gear.Using the low-observable, stealth technology of the F-117 to penetrate

  • April's Citizen Airman now available

    Air Force reservists are participating in immunization programs to protect them from the use of deadly biological warfare agents; Air Force Reserve Command is stepping up its efforts to increase awareness of health-care benefits; and legal officials warn reservists about the potential problems

  • Korean War vets get medals 50 years later

    Airman 2nd Class Harry Woodville, a Korean War veteran, has received a medal he waited 50 years for: the Korean War Service Medal.The Republic of Korea first offered the medal 50 years ago, but a law prevented U.S. troops from accepting medals from foreign countries. In 1999, the law was changed and

  • Bush Cautions Iraq War Could Be 'Longer, More Difficult'

    President Bush today praised the efforts of U.S. and coalition service members in Iraq, but cautioned that the campaign may take some time to conclude."A campaign on harsh terrain in a vast country could be longer and more difficult than some have predicted," the president pointed out during his

  • U.S. Troops Hit Terrorist Complex In Northern Iraq

    U.S. troops yesterday attacked a terrorist complex located in northern Iraq, Army Gen. Tommy Franks said."We did strike, last evening, a terrorist complex," Franks, the senior military officer overseeing Operation Iraqi Freedom, told reporters today at his Qatar headquarters.U.S. Defense Secretary

  • Medical staff provides care during exercise

    Staff Sgt. Sonia Rincon's hands are splattered with blood and pieces of torn flesh. Her patient has a sucking chest wound and a fractured leg.Despite these gruesome injuries, Rincon takes her time tending to the wounds.She is not actually dressing the wounds, but creating them. Rincon is one of

  • B-52s strike Iraqi targets

    Bomber aircraft from this deployed location participated in their first strike operations March 21 and continue to pound targets in the U.S. Central Command theater of operations in a coalition effort to disarm the Iraqi regime.All of the bombers deployed for the mission returned without incident.

  • Maintainers unleash wave of B-52s

    More than 70 aircraft maintainers worked earnestly through the early morning March 21 to unleash the first wave of B-52 bombers on the Iraqi regime from this forward-deployed location.Later in the day they watched with the rest of the world as their "Buffs" delivered what would come to be regarded

  • 'Only a Matter of Time' Before Saddam's Regime Is Destroyed

    DoD officials today offered no timeframe when U.S. and coalition military operations in Iraq would conclude, but they emphasized that time was running out for Saddam Hussein and his regime."There are a lot of unknowns" involved in trying to predict when Operation Iraqi Freedom would end, Pentagon

  • 'Shock air forces' hit Iraq

    Coalition "shock air forces" aircraft flew nearly 1,000 strike sorties March 21, hitting targets intended to end the regime of Saddam Hussein. The strikes marked the beginning of the air campaign portion of Operation Iraqi Freedom.During his first press conference since combat operations began, Gen.

  • Tons of knowledge resides in Air Force Web site

    Just about anything worth knowing about the Air Force, especially on the maintenance and acquisition side, can be found through a collaborative Web system called Knowledge Now.Knowledge Now is almost too big to describe, according to Randy Adkins, Air Force Materiel Command Knowledge Now project

  • Artist sketches lighter side of life

    A satellite sticking out of a mobile home and an alien wrangler riding an orbiting satellite. These are two examples of images people might see weekly when they pick up the base newspaper, The Satellite Flyer, thanks to cartoonist Staff Sgt. Mike Dodge from the 50th Space Wing's plans and programs

  • Rumsfeld Lists Operation Iraqi Freedom Aims, Objectives

    Defense of the American people is primary among the goals and objectives of U.S. actions in Iraq, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said during a Pentagon press conference today.Further goals are to eliminate Iraq's weapons of mass destruction and to liberate the Iraqi people.To achieve these

  • Coalition continues leaflet, radio campaign

    Aircrews dropped more than 2 million leaflets across Iraq on March 21 encouraging the surrender of Iraqi military forces and to minimize risk and harm to Iraqi civilians.The leaflets were dropped as part of ongoing coalition air operations.More than a million of the leaflets were dropped on Iraqi

  • Safe return

    Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcons return to a forward-deployed base in Southwest Asia supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt Terry L. Blevins)

  • Tanker crews launch combat support missions

    While most people were waking up and drinking their first cups of coffee, the first of several KC-135 Stratotanker aircrews from the 401st Air Expeditionary Wing launched combat support missions from their deployed location March 19."It was definitely a team effort all the way around today," said

  • The thunder rolls

    An A-10 Thunderbolt II assigned to the 104th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron banks to the right after takeoff from here March 20. Coalition forces in Afghanistan launched another offensive, dubbed Operation Valiant Strike, on March 20 aimed at villages and cave complexes east of Kandahar in the Sami

  • Roche urges civilians to register contact data

    Air Force civilian employees can benefit from the same next-of-kin notification process provided to the families of injured or killed uniformed airmen by providing their emergency contact information in a secure electronic file."So far very few of our civilians have registered. This is a great

  • DoD Leaders Urge Iraqis to Surrender

    Over the past month, coalition aircraft have dropped more than 15 million leaflets over Iraq urging soldiers not to fight and telling civilians how to protect themselves.As Operation Iraqi Freedom began, there had been some results.Coalition troops are driving toward Baghdad and while some Iraqi

  • 700-plus coalition aircraft pound Iraq

    About 700 coalition aircraft flew missions against more than 100 targets in Iraq on March 20, said defense officials.The strikes flew even as planners in the area attempted to determine the results of the strikes against the Iraqi leadership the day before. Targets included command and control

  • Building bridges

    Lt. Col. Greg Staten, commander of the 349th Tanker Airlift Control Element, checks on current operations as his team unloads C-17 Globemaster IIIs from Charleston Air Force Base, S.C., and McChord AFB, Wash. Operating 24 hours a day, the TALCE is key to maintaining troop and equipment movement for

  • Leaders tell Congress relationships key in war on terrorism

    Leaders from the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve Command spoke to members of Congress on March 19 on the personnel issues their organizations face in fighting the global war on terrorism.Lt. Gen. Daniel James III, the director of the Air National Guard, told the Senate Armed Services

  • Innovative training fosters acquisition transformation

    The Air Force acquisition community is transforming the way it does business by not only reforming its processes but also changing the way its workforce thinks and acts. To accomplish this, Paradigm Learning Inc., helped the Air Force develop a new learning tool for the entire acquisition workforce,

  • Bush Lauds Operation Iraqi Freedom Troops, Congress

    The commander in chief today saluted U.S. service members involved in Operation Iraqi Freedom and members of Congress for endorsing a resolution supporting those troops."All of us involved here in Washington are extremely proud of the skill and bravery of our young Americans who are willing to

  • 'Gray Eagle' awards presented to longest-serving pilots

    Just minutes after airmen deployed for Operation Iraqi Freedom began the highly anticipated "shock and awe" attack on Baghdad on March 21, Air Force leaders paused to pay tribute to two of the service's longest-serving pilots.Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Richard B. Myers and Maj. Gen.

  • Missile on its way

    Ammunition specialists from the 379th Expeditionary Maintenance Squadron roll out an AGM-130 missile headed toward the flightline at this forward-deployed location supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom on March 21. The squadron has built more than 5,000 weapons in the past four weeks. (U.S. Air Force

  • Myers Charts Coalition Military Actions to Date

    American ground forces are 100 miles inside Iraq and driving on Baghdad, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force Gen. Richard Myers said today during a Pentagon news conference.The U.S. air campaign against Saddam Hussein's regime began with a tremendous bombing campaign against military

  • Buffing it up

    Staff Sgts. John Beldin (left) and Landon Favors, B-52 Stratofortress weapons loaders, prepare an air-launched cruise missile for loading on a B-52 March 20. Aircraft and people from the 2nd Bomb Wing at Barksdale Air Force Base, La., are deployed here as part of the 7th Air Expeditionary Wing.

  • Legendary group enhances defense at Fairford

    Security here has taken on a formidable new dimension.After adding layers of concertina wire, K-9s and four contingents of law enforcement, officials at this British installation have added a regiment nothing short of legendary.The Gurkhas, the world-renowned Nepali special forces contingent of the

  • Power of the press

    Senior Airman Kirbie Delmo adjusts a radial drill press to align holes on manufacturing plates for an F-16 Fighting Falcon flap. Delmo is an aircraft metal technologies specialist with the 388th Equipment Maintenance Squadron. Workers in the aircraft metal technologies section manufacture, rework

  • Stealth bomber joins team

    The B-2 Spirit multirole bomber has joined forces with the B-52 Stratofortress and KC-135 Stratotanker at a forward-deployed location.As forces build up throughout the U.S. Central Command's area of responsibility, the B-2 adds another asset to the coalition team."Every airframe and every team

  • Iraq launches missiles into Kuwait

    Iraqi forces fired missiles at U.S. forces based in Kuwait, Defense Department officials said March 20.There are no reports of casualties.U.S. Central Command officials confirmed that Patriot missiles intercepted the rockets. It is unclear if the missiles contained chemical or biological agents,

  • Officials outline importance of space systems

    Space systems today are more important than ever to the military's ability to fight and win conflicts, the undersecretary of the Air Force said in congressional testimony March 19."Therefore, it's appropriate that we join together (with the other services) in a way that allows us to understand (each

  • Families moved out of Turkey

    Family members of 39th Wing airmen go through a processing line March 19 as part of Incirlik's voluntary family-member relocation. Representatives from various base agencies helped about 320 of them leave the base. The move was driven by increased security concerns in Turkey. The first aircraft

  • Rumsfeld Praises Troops, Cites Iraq War As 'Necessary, Just'

    Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld today praised American troops deployed overseas to disarm and oust Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, noting that their efforts support a just cause."It is essential to world peace and our security that we act against the regime of Saddam Hussein," Rumsfeld said in a

  • Open wide

    A Navy MH-53E Sea Dragon is unloaded from an Air Force C-5 Galaxy. The helicopter will support naval vessels in the Mediterranean Sea. (U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class James K. McNeil)

  • Security forces remain undaunted in England

    Through shifts of 13-plus hours, endless walks across the tarmac, cold wind and demonstrators lurking on the fence line, security forces here are undaunted.RAF Fairford is home to a deployed force topping more than 1,000 military members and a number of B-52 Stratofortress bombers. They are

  • Outreach program helps critically ill infants

    Many nurses and physicians have limited experience in helping sick newborns. It can be a challenge for hospital staff to maintain skills in this area.Nurses at Wilford Hall Medical Center attended a new course March 13 designed to train them to care for critically ill infants who must be

  • Saddam's Days Numbered, Rumsfeld Says

    U.S. Central Command exercised "flexibility" in attacking a senior Iraqi leadership compound last night, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said today.Rumsfeld spoke to a packed house at the Pentagon and answered questions about Operation Iraqi Freedom. He also spoke directly to Iraqi soldiers and

  • Airmen kept after school to launch rockets

    Five! Four! Three! Two! One! Blast off!This was the scream from students at Woodmen Hills Elementary on March 14 as airmen from the 1st Space Operations Squadron here helped 24 students see the rockets' red glare.For five weeks in February and March, 25 volunteers from 1st SOPS helped students

  • Yokota airmen experience life at sea

    Three Yokota airmen chosen recently to experience life at sea, have returned to dry land.The trip, offered by U.S. Navy's 7th Fleet command was a program designed to give junior servicemembers in the Army and Air Force a chance to interact with sailors in similar career fields on board a Navy

  • Leaders tell Congress about new aircraft, missions

    The Air Force's senior leaders presented their vision of the service's next-generation fighter and a new mission for an old warhorse to members of Congress on March 19.Secretary of the Air Force Dr. James G. Roche and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John P. Jumper briefed members of the House

  • Friendly fire hearing officer recommends against courts-martial

    The two Illinois Air National Guard F-16 Fighting Falcon pilots implicated in a deadly "friendly fire" incident last year should not face courts-martial, the investigating officer's report said.Majs. Harry Schmidt and William Umbach, of the 170th Fighter Squadron, face a variety of charges stemming

  • A stealthy mission

    The first of two Air Force F-117 Nighthawks lands in the early morning hours at a forward-deployed air base on the Arabian Peninsula after a mission on March 20. Nighthawks from the 8th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron out of Holloman Air Force Base, N.M., are deployed supporting all ongoing

  • Pilot dies in T-38 crash

    An instructor pilot assigned to the 100th Flying Training Squadron was killed March 19 after his T-38 Talon crash here at approximately 4 p.m.The pilot, Maj. Pete Jahns, was pronounced dead at 4:52 p.m. at Brooke Army Medical Center.The second pilot, Lt. Col. Frank Gebert, survived the crash,

  • Vice chief airs readiness concerns to Congress

    Today's high operational tempo is affecting the Air Force's ability to conduct necessary training, which may affect readiness, the service's vice chief of staff told lawmakers March 18.Gen. Robert H. Foglesong also told members of the House Armed Services Committee subcommittee on readiness he was

  • Medical care for airmen affected by Stop-Loss

    A previously overlooked provision of law allows up to four months of Tricare transitional health care benefits for airmen separating from the service after having been retained under Stop-Loss.The benefits will apply to any airman separating after the current and any future Stop-Loss actions,

  • Contact Center moves to 24-hour ops

    Airmen everywhere can now talk with customer service agents about personnel issues 24 hours a day thanks to the recently expanded hours of the Air Force Contact Center here.People with questions about assignments, benefits, pay and more can speak to a customer service representative toll-free at

  • War Begins; Coalition Aircraft Attack Iraqi Targets

    Operations to disarm Iraq have begun, President Bush announced during a speech to America tonight.The president confirmed the early stages of military operations to disarm Iraq, to free its people and to defend the world.News reports from Baghdad showed anti-aircraft artillery streaming into the

  • Soccer player is top female Air Force athlete

    Competition and esprit de corps drive soccer player Kristy Kuhlman.Now it has driven her to the top. Kuhlman, a second lieutenant contract specialist with the Space and Missile Systems Center's satellite and launch control system program office here, has been named the Air Force's 2002 Female

  • Total force showing its muscle

    The total force muscle is showing its strength throughout U.S. Air Forces in Europe as Air Force reservists and Air National Guardsmen answer the call of duty alongside their active-duty counterparts.Although the number varies daily, the Air National Guard has about 1,800 airmen and more than 60

  • A day at the market

    Secretary of the Air Force Dr. James G. Roche rings the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange on March 18. Roche and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John P. Jumper spent two days in New York for television and radio interviews to answer questions on Air Force involvement in a potential war with

  • Official discusses BRAC with Congress

    In congressional testimony March 18, the assistant secretary of the Air Force for installations, environment and logistics discussed the service's successes and roadblocks in dealing with the base realignment and closure process.Nelson F. Gibbs told the Senate Appropriations Committee subcommittee

  • Razor's edge

    Staff Sgts. Ralph Oliver (left) and Bruce Cook set up concertina wire along the perimeter here for increased force protection. They are assigned to the 424th Air Base Squadron Civil Engineer Flight. RAF Fairford is home of the 457th Expeditionary Operations Group. Troops deployed here support the

  • Weather forecasters aid mission planning

    Asking about the weather is not a casual question in the Combined Air Operations Center at a desert airbase. In fact, it is one of the key questions asked during every phase of the air tasking order, or ATO, cycle."Most systems we have are weather sensitive, so weather predictions must be

  • Falcons in flight

    Between patrols of the no-fly zone in northern Iraq, F-16C Fighting Falcon aircraft fly in formation while waiting to refuel. The jets are part of Operation Northern Watch here. The F-16 in the foreground is from the Michigan Air National Guard and is flown by a pilot from the 113th Expeditionary

  • Aircraft respond to Iraqi threats

    Coalition aircraft responded to hostile Iraqi actions March 19 by striking several military targets in southern and western Iraq with precision-guided weapons, according to officials.The aircraft were participating in Operation Southern Watch and monitoring compliance with U.N. Security Council

  • Space command cancels Guardian Challenge

    Air Force Space Command officials have canceled this year's Guardian Challenge, the annual space warfighter competition held at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.The competition, slated for May 5 to 9, was canceled because the command needs its resources focused on day-to-day operations. The