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U.S. Air Force News

  • Medical team saves baby during mission

    Members of a U. S. military medical team in Honduras performing eye surgeries and exams found themselves taking on another role Jan. 19 when they saved the life of a newborn.The San Antonio-based team, composed of people from Lackland Air Force Base's Wilford Hall Medical Center and Fort Sam

  • Hercules has arrived

    More C-130 Hercules cargo aircraft and airmen arrived at Ganci Air Base, Kyrgyzstan, recently to provide further support for the war on terrorism. The additional aircraft will enhance the 376th Air Expeditionary Wing's ability to conduct airlift missions supporting ground forces in Afghanistan.

  • Pilot survives U-2 crash, recovery continues

    An Air Force U-2 Dragon Lady pilot ejected safely before his aircraft crashed Jan. 26 near Hwa Song city, south of Seoul.The pilot was taken to the base hospital here where his was listed in stable condition. He is being treated for a back injury and is expected to recover fully. The pilot is

  • Score!

    Tech. Sgt. Gary Walden raises his arms in celebration of a score during Super Bowl XXXVII as co-workers Tech. Sgts. Van Hess (middle) and Roy Mumey stew over the play. Airmen at Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, had to rise at 3:50 a.m. to catch the live event in a recreation center at Air Force

  • Bagram duty has its hazards

    Talk of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' win in the Super Bowl stopped abruptly Jan. 27 when a work crew uncovered an unexploded bomb at Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan.A team working in an area behind the base's control tower unearthed an unexploded Russian-made anti-personnel bomblet. The Air Force

  • Artists document Air Force history with art

    First-time visitors to the Pentagon might expect to see star-studded generals and high-tech "war rooms." What they might not expect is that the walls of this 60-year-old building not only frame its famous catacomb hallways, but also double as an art gallery.The Air Force Art Program is responsible

  • Force modules give commanders 'playbook'

    The Air Force is developing a "playbook" that will allow combatant commanders to better manage their air assets, particularly in the area of opening and establishing forward bases.According to Maj. Gen. Timothy A. Peppe, special assistant for air and space expeditionary forces at the Pentagon, the

  • Rhein-Main maintains air bridge to Afghanistan

    Airman 1st Class Nate Hill had one thing in mind: getting his C-17 Globemaster III cargo plane airborne so it could get on with its mission.That is "Job 1" at this once-again busy airlift base outside Frankfurt, and if to do that means standing in a steady, cold drizzle most of the day, so be it,

  • C-5 painter explores possibilities of special art

    If a picture is worth a thousand words, then Mike Boutwell, a painter for the C-5 corrosion control facility here, is speaking volumes.Boutwell, who said he has been doodling ever since he can remember, has received rave reviews on his latest work, a mural of the C-5 Galaxy.Spending his days in the

  • Fuel specialists keep Air Force flying high

    There is an old saying that "the Army runs on its stomach." Well, the Air Force runs on fuel, jet fuel, and lots of it.The Air Force's petroleum office makes sure the Air Force has fuel whenever and wherever it needs it, according to Col. David King, commander of Detachment 3 of the Air Force's

  • A patient with patience

    An Afghan boy from the Aroki Province of Kapisa in Afghanistan waits to be seen by U.S. military medics Jan. 21. Airmen from the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing, along with soldiers from the 48th Combat Support Hospital and the 924th Korean Medical hospital, visited the province to offer health care

  • Doing shots

    Air Force Reserve Maj. Marty Maddox marks a Pentagon employee's arm before vaccinating her against the smallpox virus in the Pentagon's health care clinic Jan. 21. Maddox is an individual mobilization augmentee nurse who was activated last year. (Photo by Tech. Sgt. Jim Varhegyi)

  • B-52 sees biggest improvement in 15 years

    After three years of planning, Air Force flight test experts here introduced a new offensive avionics system for the B-52 Stratofortress.Flight testing of the B-52 Avionics Midlife Improvement, known as AMI, began in mid-December and is scheduled to continue through March 2004, with 80 sorties

  • Lights of Dover

    Dennis Major inspects new lights on the taxiway here. Dover is one of two Air Force installations using new diode lights that use less electricity than older models and are brighter. By design, an aircraft can hit a light and the tube will snap off the base, but the lighting unit itself will not

  • Famous military cartoonist dies

    World War II soldier-cartoonist Bill Mauldin, creator of the classic "Willie and Joe" characters, died Jan. 23 in a nursing home in Newport Beach, Calif.Mauldin, 81, was weakened by Alzheimer's disease and died of pneumonia.During World War II, then-Army Sergeant Mauldin earned fame for the cartoon

  • Center training civilian journalists

    Air Mobility Warfare Center instructors here began training 60 journalists Jan. 20 during Joint Service Media Orientation and Training.The course, also known as "media boot camp," is a Department of Defense initiative that puts journalists through a weeklong, hands-on block of classes and field

  • FEGLI has new premiums, other changes

    Some Air Force civilian employees and retirees will see a change in the cost of their Federal Employees Group Life Insurance premiums. They may find themselves placed into a new age group.A recent review of the Federal Employees Group Life Insurance premiums by office of personnel management

  • Fighter squadron deactivating after deployment

    "Mission complete" are familiar words of relief to military people who have completed their duty and relinquished their post.However, these words carry more meaning for 55th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron airmen as they complete their Operation Northern Watch mission here and prepare to deactivate

  • Tweaking tankers

    Tech. Sgt. Michael Mickens works on a KC-135 Stratotanker after an air refueling mission over Afghanistan on Jan 20. Mickens is assigned to the 376th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron at Ganci Air Base, Kyrgyzstan, supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. The base is home to forces from

  • Keeping fuel flowing

    Senior Airman Johnathan Seifert inspects a gauge that indicates the operational status of the fuel system. Seifert is assigned to the 100th Logistics Readiness Squadron's fuels management flight here. The flight provides nearly 33 million gallons of fuel annually to the 100th Air Refueling Wing's

  • New simulator provides medical training

    Thirty-three students from the Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine here recently simulated caring for sick and injured patients aboard a Boeing 767 without ever leaving the ground.In an effort to provide realistic hands-on training, school officials recently acquired a full-size 767 fuselage that

  • Air commandos perform mission of mercy

    Quick actions of three airmen helped save a Japanese woman's life following an auto accident outside the base gate here Jan. 15.While returning to Kadena from another military installation about 4 p.m., three members of the 353rd Special Operations Group were stopped at a traffic light about a mile

  • Travis shows 'true colors' during NFL game

    Bay area football fans showed their patriotism and appreciation for the Air Force on Jan. 19 as the Oakland Raiders beat the Tennessee Titans during the league championship game at Network Associates Coliseum in Oakland, Calif.As part of pregame festivities, more than 200 people from Travis Air

  • Rock and unroll

    Airmen with the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing unroll a fuel bladder Jan. 20 as part of an effort to increase fuel storage capacity at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar. Each bladder can hold up to 210,000 gallons of fuel. (Photo by Staff Sgt. David Donovan)

  • Deployed troops offered educational opportunities

    The 320th Air Expeditionary Wing at a forward-deployed location is scheduled to have a fully operational education center by Feb. 15."Ultimately we hope to offer educational services the same as stateside bases," said Tech. Sgt. John Becker, base education officer.The base has been approved to

  • AF cancels B-1 defensive upgrade

    Air Force officials recently announced that the service was canceling the B-1B Lancer's Defensive System Upgrade Program because of cost overruns and schedule slips, but remains committed to improving the aircraft's combat capability.The DSUP was intended to replace the B-1's current defensive suite

  • Idea earns sergeant $10,000

    A noncommissioned officer here recently earned $10,000 from the Air Force's Innovative Development through Employee Awareness program. He received the money for writing an inspection and maintenance manual for the Department of Defense and the Air Force concerning metal shipping containers.Tech.

  • Just passing through

    An MV-22 Osprey stopped here Jan. 17 for fuel on its way from Amarillo, Texas, to Patuxent Naval Air Station, Md. It is the second low-rate initial-production Osprey airframe. Pilots Lt. Col. Tom Currie and Maj. Tom Goodrough, from Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., flew the aircraft. (Photo by 1st

  • New short-term enlistments coming

    A new military short-term enlistment program will begin Oct. 1 aimed at expanding the opportunities for all Americans to serve the country.Congress authorized the National Call to Service enlistment option as part of the fiscal 2003 National Defense Authorization Act.The program allows the military

  • Committee focuses on servicewomen

    Here is bad news for folks who argue that women do not belong in the military: Recruitment and retention rates are up; their roles in the military continue to grow; and they are just as good as men at their jobs -- or better."Naysayers" may find the above facts discouraging, but they are good news

  • Team provides airborne intensive care

    Moving critically injured and sick troops from the front lines to larger and better-equipped military medical facilities is the job of the Air Force Critical Care Air Transport Team based at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan.The team works with Air Force aerial medical evacuation specialists to provide

  • Pilot follows in father's footsteps

    The weather on Jan. 10, 1973, was overcast as Navy Lt. Michael McCormick, an A-6 Intruder pilot, and Lt. j.g. Robert Clark, a bombardier navigator, stepped out to their plane and prepared for a mission over North Vietnam. It would be their last one - forever.It was the last mission Attack Squadron

  • Job e-library saves research time

    People seeking civilian job information and supervisors considering creating a position or reorganizing work can save hours of research time by using a recently expanded electronic library of civilian job information.More than 700 civilian positions are covered by the Standard Core Personnel

  • Sink or swim

    Senior Airman Robert Cordell swims across the pool while wearing his anti-exposure suit during water survival training here. The swimming pool training provides students a realistic environment for using life support equipment in water. Cordell is a C-130 Hercules loadmaster from the base's 36th

  • Leaders announce new core competencies

    The Air Force's senior leaders debuted the service's new approach to describing its core competencies this week.Secretary of the Air Force Dr. James G. Roche and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John P. Jumper made this announcement in two separate messages to all airmen. Roche released his first "The

  • Here comes the sun

    Airmen from the 363rd Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron at Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia, move an F-15 Eagle into place for display during the live broadcast of NBC's "Today" show Jan. 14. The show, aired live on the East Coast and tape-delay broadcast on the West Coast, featured

  • Spangdahlem gets deployment order

    More than 500 airmen and numerous F-16CJ Fighting Falcons left here Jan. 12 and 16 for a forward-deployed locations to support the unified command as part of a secretary of defense-issued order.The 52nd Fighter Wing was part of the Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld's Dec. 24 deployment order,

  • Leader of the packing

    Airman 1st Class Brian Crawford packs up a reverse osmosis water purification unit at a forward-deployed location supporting of Operation Enduring Freedom. The unit is being sent for repairs. Crawford is currently a utilities systems journeyman assigned to the 321st Expeditionary Civil Engineer

  • Air Force moves to institutionalize enterprise architecture

    Leaders of the Air Force's information technology, warfighting integration and operations communities took a major step recently to further the service's transformation efforts by creating the Air Force enterprise architecture council structure.Enterprise architecture is a formal process designed to

  • Edwards gets F-16s from 'bone yard'

    Two F-16 Fighting Falcons joined the test operations facility here recently to help support flight test programs. The aircraft are the first of nine F-16s making their way to Edwards this year.The aircraft arrived from the Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Center at Davis-Monthan Air Force

  • Dyess aircrews poised for bomb runs over Iraq

    While the United States prepares for a possible war with Iraq, aircrews at this B-1B Lancer base have not changed their training routine.The airmen are not yet part of the huge U.S. military buildup that has taken thousands of troops to bases in the Middle East, but they know they will play a key

  • Top cop in DC sniper case says communication was vital

    Communication and persistence were keys to solving the District of Columbia-area sniper case in October, the investigation's top lawman said.Montgomery (Md.) County Police Chief Charles Moose told members of the Air Force Security Forces Executive Council on Jan. 14 that, in today's environment,

  • Ruff job

    Staff Sgt. Samuel Pruett keeps a close eye on his partner, Dasty, as he runs through the tunnel during training at the military working dog obstacle course here Jan. 10. Both man and dog are assigned to the base's 4th Security Forces Squadron. (Photo by Staff Sgt. James W. Arrowood)

  • Officials announce civil engineer awards

    Air Force officials and three civil engineer civilian organizations announced the Air Force's annual civil engineer awards Jan. 8.The Air Force civil engineer community partners with the Society of American Military Engineers, the National Society of Professional Engineers, and the Northeast Chapter

  • Need for blood donations grows

    With a smaller pool of eligible military donors and a recently decreased stock of frozen blood, the Air Force assistant vice chief of staff is calling on servicemembers and their families to donate blood.In a recent memo to the field, Lt. Gen. Joseph Wehrle asked airmen worldwide to support the

  • ACC begins F/A-22 operations

    Air Combat Command entered a new era Jan. 14 as America's newest fighter-attack aircraft touched down here.Raptor 00-012, the first F/A-22 to be delivered directly to the command, was flown from Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., to Nellis by Lt. Col. David Rose, chief of Nellis' F/A-22 integration

  • Explosive business

    Senior Airman Douglas Frey uses a mine detector to locate buried ordnance here Jan. 9. Frey is assigned to the 39th Civil Engineer Squadron. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Dennis J. Henry Jr.)

  • Association offers scholarships to children

    The Military Officers Association of America will give $1,000 college scholarships at random to sons and daughters of military people, including reservists.Deadline to complete the online application is March 1.Formerly known as The Retired Officers Association, the MOAA will honor 100 college-bound

  • Air Force risks air dominance without F/A-22

    Without the F/A-22 Raptor, the Air Force could face losing its lead in fighter aviation to other nations, said Maj. Gen. John D. W. Corley, director of Air Force Global Power Programs at the Pentagon."We need this aircraft," Corley said. "It's the only new U.S. aircraft that will be able to put

  • Officials cancel Red Flag exercise

    Air Combat Command officials have cancelled the Red Flag exercise scheduled later this month at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., because of real-world taskings.Red Flag, a realistic combat-training exercise involving U.S. and allied forces, is conducted on the bombing and gunnery ranges at Nellis and is

  • Officials say draft not necessary

    The all-volunteer force took nearly a generation to come to fruition, but has since proved its worth in combat.Thirty years after then-Defense Secretary Melvin R. Laird established the all- volunteer force, some politicians are again calling for resumption of a military draft. Defense leaders are

  • Air Force Museum displaying aviation art

    More than 250 original paintings by aviation artists will be featured when the Air Force Museum here offers "A Centennial Celebration of Aviation Art" for a limited engagement during 2003.To commemorate the Centennial of Flight, this art collection epitomizes the aviation history and recalls a

  • Helping hand

    Capt. Nathan Schalles poses with children in Bakhshkeyl, Afghanistan, after handing out school supplies Jan. 11. People at Bagram Air Base's Air Force Village delivered clothes, food and school supplies to the village under an "Adopt-A-Village" civil affairs program. Schalles is commander of the

  • Ready or not, here we come

    Staff Sgt. Kyle Truelsen marshals a U-2 Dragon Lady out of a hangar here. Upgraded U-2s with sensors and data links that improve the aircraft's data-collecting capability are deploying from Beale to support Operation Enduring Freedom and other reconnaissance operations overseas. Truelsen is a crew

  • Program keeps pilots awake, alert

    Fatigue kills.In the high-speed, high-stress environment of the combat aviator, it is a fact of life, and Air Force officials are doing what they can to ensure aircrew members are armed with the ability to fight an internal enemy that is potentially as deadly as a surface-to-air missile.Those

  • '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

  • Quarterly assignment listing available

    The Enlisted Quarterly Assignment Listing for people returning from overseas May through July will be available Jan. 13.Individuals need to work through their military personnel flights to update their preferences since the update process is not yet totally automated, according to Air Force

  • Pope combat controller awarded Air Force Cross

    Senior Air Force leaders awarded the Air Force Cross to Tech. Sgt. John Chapman here Jan. 10.Chapman, a combat controller killed in Afghanistan while saving the lives of his entire team, was posthumously awarded the Air Force Cross, which is second only to the Medal of Honor as an award for

  • Rocket launches from Vandenberg

    The Air Force launched a Boeing Delta II Rocket from here Jan. 12. The rocket carried an Ice Cloud and Land Elevation Satellite, and a Cosmic Hot Interstellar Plasma Spectrometer.The ICESat will help scientists determine if the global sea level is rising or falling. It will observe the ice sheets

  • Comedian donates $1m for welcome center

    Bob and Dolores Hope have donated $1 million to the Air Force Enlisted Foundation to build a facility here to honor retired Col. Robert W. Gates, a pilot on many of the comedian's United Services Organization jaunts across the globe.The 6,500 square foot welcome center will be built next to the

  • Mounted security forces patrol Little Rock

    Base security got a boost recently with the addition of three horses to form the 314th Security Forces Squadron mounted patrol.The horse patrol covers a designated area of Little Rock Air Force Base every day and focuses on remote areas of the perimeter, wooded areas behind housing and hunting areas

  • Keeping mail flowing while deployed

    On a daily basis, the morale of people deployed to the 320th Air Expeditionary Wing weighs on the minds of the base postal flight, and they want nothing more than to deliver."We're big-time morale boosters," said Airman 1st Class Jonathan Morgan, an information manager by trade. "That's our main

  • Art contest deadline approaches

    Elementary school artists of military families have until Jan. 27 to enter the 2003 Armed Services YMCA Art Contest and earn a chance to win a $500 U.S. Savings Bond.The annual talent hunt is open to kindergartners through sixth graders of active and reserve-component military families in all the

  • Team erects B-2 shelters at deployed location

    Twenty members of the 49th Materiel Maintenance Squadron here spent more than 70 days at a deployed location working 12-hour shifts to erect portable shelters for B-2 Spirit bombers.The Air Force now has two transportable hangar systems that will allow the B-2 to deploy overseas. Moving the B-2s to

  • Let it snow!

    As the first major snowfall of the season covers Aviano Air Base, Italy, on Jan. 9, Airman 1st Class Brian Hirsch of the 31st Security Forces Squadron maintains security at the base's gate. (Photo by Master Sgt. Dave Ahlschwede)

  • Air Force survival instructor shows Marines the ropes

    Huddled with a group of shivering students on a recent cold morning, an Air Force survival instructor from the 374th Operations Support Squadron at Yokota Air Base, Japan, demonstrates the proper way to rappel from a 70-foot tower. The group watches carefully as he attaches a rope to his harness

  • ARPC announces colonel promotions

    The Air Reserve Personnel Center here announced Jan. 9 the 2003 Air Force Reserve colonel promotion selection board results that selected 229 officers for promotion.The list of officers selected is available on the ARPC Web site at arpc.afrc.af.mil under "Promotions."A selection board convened at

  • January issue of Airman's 'The Book' now available online

    Demographics, statistics, and a wide range of compiled information about the Air Force highlight the first issue of Airman magazine in 2003, available now on the World Wide Web."Centennial of Flight" is the theme for Airman's January 2003 issue, traditionally called "The Book." The issue focuses on

  • Operation Gray Eagle unites military people with retirees

    Veterans and new recruits seldom move in the same circles. But that has changed here.The base has started a trial program, Operation Gray Eagle, which unites veterans living in the Denver area with students in the base's airmen leadership school for a session that seeks to pass experience and

  • The paint is flying

    A member of the Turkish air force security forces squadron here surrenders after being hit with a paintball. U.S. and Turkish security forces team up once a quarter for paintball training to practice combat tactics, fire-control measures and cover and concealment procedures. (Photo by Staff Sgt.

  • Wings of Blue strike gold

    The U.S. Air Force Academy Wings of Blue parachute competition team won gold medals in each skydiving event and received 31 out of 44 total medals at the National Collegiate Parachute Championship in Eloy, Ariz., recently.The team competed in three events: style, accuracy and four-way. The style

  • Gas 'n go

    An airman from the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, refuels a KC-10 Extender aircraft recently. The fuels section maintains about 1 million gallons of fuel to support the base and the KC-10 and KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. (Photo by

  • Air Force begins smallpox vaccines

    The Air Force chief of staff has directed the immediate implementation of the smallpox vaccination program.In a Jan. 6 policy memorandum to major command commanders, Gen. John P. Jumper outlined details of the commanders' force protection program against the deadly biological warfare agent.The first

  • Servicemembers heading toward gulf

    Thousands of American servicemembers are deploying to the U.S. Central Command area of operations.The largest deployment is that of the Army's 16,500-man 3rd Infantry Division to Kuwait.The division's 2nd Brigade is already in Kuwait. The 3rd Brigade, based at Fort Benning, Ga., flies out this week

  • AFIT course stays at Wright-Patterson

    The Air Force Institute of Technology's School of Systems and Logistics here will continue to provide courses for the acquisition and sustainment workforce.Air Force officials announced recently that graduate acquisition and meteorology training will be transferred to the Naval Postgraduate School

  • Air Force transforms, merges property operations

    The Air Force recently created a new agency to handle all of its real estate transactions.The Air Force Real Property Agency resulted from the merging of two agencies: the Air Force Base Conversion Agency and the Air Force Real Estate division. The move, said the director of the AFRPA, is expected

  • Congress funds more than $2 billion in construction projects

    Congress approved more than $2 billion to fund Air Force construction projects over the next year.The fiscal 2003 National Defense Authorization Act includes $1.3 billion in funding for Air Force military construction, including dormitories, fitness centers, force protection projects and operational

  • Fueling the fight

    Staff Sgts. Ben Hritz (left) and Dave Follmuth help pull a 900-pound fuel bladder into place at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar. Both are fuels technicians with the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing. Fuels workers currently maintain approximately 1 million gallons of fuel for KC-10 Extender and KC-135

  • Officer assignments move beyond 'seven-day option'

    Following secretary of the Air Force guidance, Air Force Personnel Center officials reviewed and improved what was called the "seven-day option" policy for officer assignments.Those officers who would be eligible to separate or retire instead of taking an assignment will now get more than seven days

  • Now showing: Jan. 6 edition of Air Force Television News

    The Jan. 6 edition of Air Force Television News is the second of four special editions of the program; an extended interview with Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force Gerald Murray. Interviewed by Staff Sgt. Pachari Lutke, Murray discusses a wide range of topics, including retention and recruiting

  • Titan II Coriolis launches from Vandenberg

    The Air Force successfully launched a Titan II booster from here at 6:19 a.m. Jan. 6.The joint government and industry project dubbed "Coriolis," places the Navy windsat radiometer and an Air Force solar mass ejection imager in a low Earth-sun synchronous orbit.The windsat radiometer will provide

  • Guardsman's soup provides Sunday retreat

    It is Sunday in Afghanistan's Air Force Village, and a huge 15-gallon metal cooking pot is providing a little taste of home.Folks are lining up for another Sunday helping of home cooking by Senior Master Sgt. Timothy Treaster.Treaster, an Air National Guardsman from McEntire Air National Guard Base,

  • Building a boomtown

    Tech. Sgt. John Deyo guides a panel through a machine being used to construct a new transportation building at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar. Devo is a structural craftsman with the 819th/219th Expeditionary Red Horse Squadron. Squadron people are working 12-hours a day, six days a week to build

  • Flying high

    Aircraft commander Captain "Allison" looks out at the horizon as she pilots her KC-10A Extender aircraft. The captain and her crew stay airborne over Afghanistan providing fuel to coalition aircraft supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. The crew is assigned to the 44th Expeditionary Air Refueling

  • Booklet offers help for identity theft

    A Federal Trade Commission booklet offers guidance for people who have fallen victim to a fast-growing crime: identity theft.Defense Department officials believe that it is possible that some Tricare beneficiaries could be subject to identity thievery because of the Dec. 14 theft of office

  • Air Force prepares for major deployment

    Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld directed the deployment of additional forces to support operations Enduring Freedom, Desert Spring and possible future contingencies Dec. 24.The additional active-duty forces in Air and Space Expeditionary Forces 7 and 8 as well as selected forces from AEFs 9

  • New Year's flight

    While his wingman flies formation, a Marine AV-8B Harrier takes on fuel from a KC-10 Extender over Afghanistan, Jan. 1. The KC-10 and its crew are currently assigned to the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing at Al Udeid, Qatar. (Photo by Capt. Don Langley)

  • Air Force supports Rose Bowl

    F-117 Nighthawks from the 412th Test Wing at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., soar over a Rose Bowl crowd of nearly 87,000 people before the game featuring the No. 6-ranked Washington State Cougars and No. 7 Oklahoma Sooners. The Sooners won 34-14. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Cortchie Welch)

  • Military researchers receive awards

    Four military researchers were recently honored by the Institute for National Security Studies during its annual research results conference here.Majs. Steve Kiser and Troy Thomas received the Maj. Gen. Robert E. Linhard Award for their paper "Lords of the Silk Route: Violent Non-State Actors in

  • Total Force Band stars in parade

    The Air Force showed its true colors Jan. 1 here when members of the Total Force Band performed in the 114th Tournament of Roses Parade.The band, comprised of men and women from active-duty, Reserve and Guard components, marched for the second year in a row."Now more than ever, it's important to

  • Innovation pays in more ways than one

    Innovation has paid off, not once, but four times for one 552nd Air Control Wing airman.Since his arrival at the 552nd ACW four years ago, Staff Sgt. Daniel McSwain has continually looked for ways to improve processes in his shop. He is an avionics test station and aircraft component specialist in

  • Predator crashes in Pakistan

    An Air Force RQ-1 Predator unmanned aerial vehicle crashed during a test flight in a remote area of southern Pakistan around 11 p.m. on Dec. 31, according to U.S. Central Command officials here.The crash was not the result of enemy fire, and the aircraft is being recovered, officials said.The cause

  • Directorate cleans up with new water-based solution

    Maintainers here recently replaced their chemical-based cleaning solvent with a water-based product that is proving safer for workers. The new solvent will also saves thousands of dollars each year in environmental disposal and compliance costs, said officials.The water-based cleaning fluid,

  • Pets traveling to UK still require quarantine license

    Currently, cats and dogs coming into the United Kingdom from the United States must still be licensed into quarantine, according to British Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs officials.The U.K. government extended the Pet Travel Scheme to the United States as of Dec. 11. This

  • Avoiding 'Trash-ganistan'

    Senior Airman Courtney Swales (left) holds on as Senior Master Sgt. Dave Dickinson drives a four-wheel all-terrain vehicle with a load full of trash from Air Force Village at Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan. Hauling trash to the dump is one of many additional duties airmen frequently pull at the base.

  • Prototype saves fuel, money, environment

    It is economical, environmentally friendly, and definitely fuel-efficient. And so far, only the 149th Fighter Wing of the Texas Air National Guard is using it.It is the PH1000EL Self-Contained Fuel Transfer Unit, better known as the "fuel buggy." Members of the 149th Maintenance Squadron are using

  • myPay offers W-2 forms in January

    Servicemembers, military retirees and annuitants will have their account statements and tax information online courtesy of the Defense Finance and Accounting Service's myPay.In January, active-duty and reserve customers can view and print current-year W-2 using myPay, a secure, online system.The

  • Leaders stress winter safety

    With the winter season firmly in place and bitter weather gripping the nation, the service's senior leaders urge Air Force members to be safety-conscious."The mission, travel, weather and distractions caused by family separations all factor into increased risk," said Secretary of the Air Force Dr.

  • Now showing: Dec. 23 edition of Air Force Television News

    The Dec. 23 edition of Air Force Television News is the first of four special productions of the program to be seen in December, January and February. This first of the four is the annual "Year in Review" edition, and is dedicated to the men and women of the Air Force and the job they do both on

  • Board releases HH-60 incident report

    A less-than-optimum takeoff technique combined with an attempt to out climb a dust cloud with insufficient power caused the Aug. 12 crash of an HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter, according to Air Force officials who investigated the incident.At the time of the crash, the helicopter was returning to its