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U.S. Air Force News

  • OSI finds more than ‘bad guys’

    They are commonly perceived as undercover agents in black hats and trench coats, but the agents of the Air Force Office of Special Investigations Detachment 410 here are capable of much more than investigating the “bad guys” on base. Special agents also maintain close liaisons with local authorities

  • Pilot referred to court-martial

    Lt. Gen. Bruce Carlson referred Maj. Harry Schmidt to court-martial for dereliction of duty June 30 after Schmidt refused to accept nonjudicial punishment June 25.The 8th Air Force commander referred Charge 1 of the original charges against Schmidt for a bombing incident which killed four Canadian

  • Predator team prowls Iraq

    It hunts alone, flying quietly for more than 20 hours at a time, carefully scouring the Earth for the most minute evidence of ground activity and discretely relaying intelligence information to analysts half a world away. But on a moment's notice, the Predator unmanned aerial vehicle can transform

  • Nation will not forsake missing

    The quest to account for missing servicemen from the Vietnam, Korean and Cold Wars and World War II "is unwavering, untiring and will not fail." That is what Jerry D. Jennings said during the 34th annual National League of Families conclave here June 27. The war against terrorism, including

  • EOD experts keep assessors safe

    Finding a bomb that accurately struck an Iraqi target but did not go “bang” is not a good thing, according to combined weapons effectiveness assessment team officials. They said unexploded ordnance is not good because it is a weapon that did not perform as intended. It is also a danger for both

  • ‘Red Horse’ rides in to Tallil

    Part of the 1st Expeditionary Red Horse Group stepped off a plane here June 26 on the very runway they came to repair. The 11-person heavy operational repair team will fix more than 40 surface chips in both base runways, according to officials.Onced repaired, the runways will be able to withstand

  • Upgrade halts service temporarily

    An upgrade to the Defense Civilian Personnel Data System will shut down its services July 18 to 31, according to Air Force Personnel Center officials here.The improvement, which affects the servicing of more than 130,000 Air Force civilian employees, will allow all Department of Defense civilians to

  • cVIP speeds job-application process

    New and current civilian employees inprocessing or being assigned to new positions in the Air Force can now fill out many of the employment forms online, according to Air Force Personnel Center officials here.Applicants who have been contacted with a tentative job offer can use the Web-based

  • Team testing hazardous-waste detection

    Three organizations here are testing and demonstrating what could be the future of buried hazardous-waste detection, ultimately improving the Air Force's compliance with Department of Defense and Environmental Protection Agency regulations.Officials from the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center are

  • Officials release T-38 accident report

    Air Force investigators have determined that pilot error caused a T-38A Talon to crash March 8 near Eglin Air Force Base, Fla.The pilot ejected from the aircraft and sustained minor injuries. The aircraft, assigned to the 7th Combat Training Squadron at Holloman AFB, N.M., was part of a two-ship

  • Reservists help shark-attack victim

    Reservists from the 445th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron here aided a shark-attack victim at Johnston Atoll June 22.Lt. Col. Nancy Byrne, a flight nurse, along with Master Sgts. Jeffery Streit and Brian Marquardt, aeromedical technicians, received the call to provide support. They were performing a

  • Software streamlines travel process

    A new software program being tested by defense travel system officials will make arranging, paying and reimbursing official government travel a speedy, seamless and almost paperless process, according to officials.A software program, called the "Enhanced Jefferson," is transforming the way the

  • Linguists speak for team

    Targeteers and engineers are obvious choices for a weapons-assessment team. However, often Arab linguists are the first to speak to the Iraqis about what happened, according to officials.Linguists have been integral as the Combined Weapons Effectiveness Assessment Team travels to different impact

  • Rosa confirmed as academy superintendent

    Maj. Gen. John W. Rosa will be the next Air Force Academy superintendent, the Senate confirmed June 23.Rosa will assume command during a mid-July ceremony at the school in Colorado.Rosa is the deputy director for current operations on the Joint Staff. He is directly responsible to the chairman of

  • Air Force JAGs make History Channel

    With the exception of several law degrees and a handful of gavels, the office of Brig. Gen. Jarisse J. Sanborn could be mistaken for any senior leader's workspace.Recently, however, her office was transformed into a miniature production studio, complete with audio and video cables, a 1,000-watt

  • Hardships affect mobilization length

    Mobilized reservists may request to remain on or get off active duty because of personal or financial hardship caused by mobilization, early deactivation or demobilization."We look at each situation, whether it's a request to remain mobilized or a request to demobilize early," said Col. Mike

  • Researchers combat ‘traveler’s trots’

    Incirlik has many claims to fame, particularly during its support of operations Northern Watch and Enduring Freedom. While proud of their endeavors, most people would probably choose to do without one infamous part of Incirlik life -- diarrhea.Unfortunately for residents, Incirlik has a 10 to 15

  • Band sends July 4 greetings worldwide

    The U.S. Air Force Band and Air Force Reserve Command officials will present an Independence Day radio broadcast July 4, according to officials here.The show’s host will be radio personalities Crook and Chase. It features the U.S. Air Force concert band and Singing Sergeants. Guest artists include

  • ‘Captured’ Iraqi fuel tested for use

    As the mission in Iraq shifts daily toward stabilization, finding ways to reorganize and power the country’s infrastructure become more important, according to officials.The capture of large stores of Iraqi fuel at Baghdad International Airport and Kirkuk and Tallil air bases will aid in the

  • Smallpox vaccine side effects ‘rare’

    Mass smallpox vaccinations can be conducted safely with "very low" rates of serious adverse effects, the Defense Department's senior medical official said June 25.The military will continue with its vaccination program because the smallpox bioterror threat remains, said Dr. William Winkenwerder,

  • Pilot demands trial by court-martial

    Maj. Harry Schmidt has demanded a trial by court-martial in lieu of accepting nonjudicial punishment under Article 15 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, according to officials here. Schmidt was offered nonjudicial punishment for his involvement in the April 17, 2002, bombing incident which

  • 900 face involuntary retraining

    More than 900 airmen may be involuntarily moved to shortage career skills starting July 7, according to Air Force Personnel Center officials here.Although 450 airmen volunteered to change career fields during the initial phase of this year’s noncommissioned officer retraining program, it was not

  • Invention makes moving patients safer

    Air Force and civilian engineers have developed a non-sparking electrical outlet for a frequency converter making aeromedical evacuations safer and easier.Engineers from the 311th Human Systems Program Office’s aeromedical test branch here began working on the new converter because of potential

  • Fighting two wars

    With the war on terrorism in full stride, the chances have increased dramatically that people in the Air Force will serve in a combat zone.About 90 airmen deployed here have directly supported not one but two wars in only a few months.Senior Airman Kelly Wilson, a security forces airman, and Staff

  • Hyperbaric laboratory earns accreditation

    Global health and safety received a much-needed shot in the arm recently when a U.S. Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine organization here became the first nationally accredited Department of Defense hyperbaric facility, according to officials.The school’s hyperbaric medicine division, also known

  • Motorcycle deaths rise in ‘101 days’

    Motorcycle riders account for more than half of the Air Force’s safety-related deaths during this year’s 101 Critical Days of Summer safety campaign, according to Air Force Safety Center officials at Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M.Officials said there is an alarming trend in motorcycle accidents

  • General receives management award

    Lt. Gen. Brian A. Arnold is the winner of the 2002 Eugene M. Zuckert Management Award. Secretary of the Air Force Dr. James G. Roche presented him with the award during a ceremony in the Pentagon on June 24.This award is named after Eugene M. Zuckert, who served as secretary of the Air Force from

  • AFAF donations up $800,000

    Airmen are giving more than $5.9 million to this year's Air Force Assistance Fund campaign -- $800,000 more than last year, according to Air Force Personnel Center officials here.The fund raises money for four Air Force-related charities that benefit active-duty, Reserve, Guard and retired Air Force

  • Congress approves retiree money

    Some military retirees will soon be receiving monthly payments for service-related health problems thanks to a provision of the 2003 National Defense Authorization Act.Combat-related special compensation allows some disabled military retirees to collect payments for both their military service and

  • Base accessed by hand scanner

    Air Force officials kicked off a 90-day test period June 23 for the first large-scale use of hand-scan technology that could allow thousands of people to enter the base with just a wave of their hand.People wanting to access the base from the new Shiloh-Scott MetroLink station now use a

  • Airmen advance to world triathlon

    The Air Force team finished exactly one hour behind the winning Army team at the 2003 Armed Forces Triathlon held at Point Mugu here June 16 to 22.It ranked behind both the Army and Navy teams with a total time of 25 hours, 49 minutes, 4 seconds. The Marine Corps did not have enough competitors to

  • C-141 crew guides aircraft to safety

    A C-141 Starlifter aircrew from here led three people on a civilian cargo aircraft to safety after an apparent navigational-equipment malfunction caused them to become disoriented in bad weather off the coast of New Zealand.“They appeared to have no reliable navigational fix,” navigator Maj. Jeff

  • AF tries reducing deployment discrepancies

    Today’s Air Force is expeditionary, and all airmen should be prepared to deploy to support military operations worldwide, according to Maj. Gen. Timothy A. Peppe.The majority of airmen arriving in an area of responsibility are ready to accomplish their mission, however, nearly 10 percent report for

  • Marine killed in training accident

    A Marine was killed and eight Marines and Navy servicemembers injured in what appears to be a training accident in Djibouti on June 22, Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa officials said.An Air Force B-52 Stratofortress apparently dropped "multiple" bombs in the wrong area of Godoria Range,

  • LULAC honors airman, service

    A weeklong League of United Latin American Citizens 2003 Convention ended here June 20 with a tribute to a fallen airman and the presentation of a community outreach award to the Air Force.The organization honored Airman 1st Class Raymond Losano, 24, who was killed in a firefight in Afghanistan on

  • Now showing: June 23 edition of AFTV News

    The latest edition of Air Force Television News is the first of a two-part presentation of a historic town hall meeting held at the Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio. The program features the secretary, chief of staff and chief master sergeant of the Air Force fielding questions from moderator

  • Unpowered gliders resume flight

    The 94th Flying Training Squadron here resumed unpowered glider flights June 23.The flights were suspended in mid-May to “address glider operations guidance shortcomings, and leadership and cultural issues in the squadron,” said Brig. Gen. John Weida, the academy’s acting superintendent.Officer

  • Bush says U.S. facing down remnants of Iraqi regime

    U.S. military personnel are facing down the remnants of the Hussein regime even as coalition personnel continue to search for Iraqi weapons of mass destruction, President Bush said in his weekly radio address June 21. Bush said American military personnel are making life more secure for Iraqis, and

  • Myers nominated for second term

    President George W. Bush has nominated Gen. Richard Myers for a second two-year term as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.Myers has served in the position since Oct. 1, 2001. The Senate must confirm the nomination.He was the vice chairman before becoming chairman.He was nominated as chairman

  • Tech, master promotion rates down

    Air Force officials have selected 4,832 of 18,903 eligible technical sergeants for promotion to master sergeant, a 25.56 percent selection rate, and 7,116 of 32,501 eligible staff sergeants for promotion to technical sergeant, a 21.89 percent selection rate.A higher retention rate -- opening fewer

  • Fireworks safety keeps people from getting burned

    While they may not be powerful enough to take out enemy aircraft, fireworks need to be treated with the same amount of respect as military weapons, according to Air Mobility Command safety officials here."Fireworks aren't designed to be as powerful as military flares and weapons," said Harold

  • Air Force ends Stop-Loss

    The last of the airmen whose retirement or separation was delayed by Stop-Loss for Operation Iraqi Freedom were released June 23 and will be eligible to leave the service July 31.Air Force officials authorized Stop-Loss for 43 officer and 56 enlisted specialties in early March to meet national

  • Officials release F-15 accident report

    Officials investigating the March 17 midair collision of two F-15C Eagle aircraft on the Nevada Test and Training Range near Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., have determined the accident occurred when one of the pilots failed to coordinate his flight path with that of his lead pilot.The mishap pilot

  • A priceless $10.25

    Much has been said recently about our nation’s military and the operations it is involved in. Some people are supportive, while others are not so supportive, and each has his own way of showing it.Three local girls demonstrated their support by raising money to help the deployed people in

  • Space is ‘ultimate high ground’

    Integration of hardware, software and can-do spirit has allowed America to move into an era of space-enabled warfare, a senior Air Force space official said.And given the significant advantages space gives those who use it, that is a very good thing, according to Brig. Gen. C. Robert Kehler, Air

  • NATO chaplain chiefs build relationships

    For the first time in 12 years, the chiefs of NATO nations' air forces' chaplaincies have come to the United States for their annual conference.The weeklong NATO Allied Air Force Chief of Chaplains Consultative Conference, held jointly at both the Pentagon and Andrews Air Force Base, Md., ended June

  • Photographers capture bomb damage in Iraq

    Master Sgt. Michael Best has taken photographs for 28 years. The past 20 years, he has made his living taking photos for the Air Force.But on a sunny, sultry day in mid-June in Iraq’s capital city, he is looking for more than just photos. He is looking for snipers.“I’m sure the force-protection

  • AF considers new uniform

    Air Force officials are considering an Air Force-distinctive uniform to replace the current battle dress uniform, according to service officials.A fit and wear test of the uniform is pending, officials said. The test will determine the best direction to respond to Air Force needs for a 21st century

  • Wartime heirloom returned to family

    Sixty years of history came full circle this week when an airman here returned a Japanese flag to the family of its original owner. The flag was carried into battle by a Japanese soldier during World War II.Col. Donald Weckhorst, commander of the 605th Air Operations Group at 5th Air Force

  • Addition extends weapon’s range

    Workers here have begun work to create greater range and accuracy for wind-corrected munitions dispensers.Area attack systems program office workers are helping design and develop wings for the dispensers as well as adding a global positioning system to aid the weapon’s inertial-guidance system.Both

  • Officials release U-2 accident report

    Air Force investigators have determined that engine failure caused a U-2 Dragon Lady surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft to crash Jan. 26 near Osan Air Base, South Korea.The pilot ejected from the aircraft and sustained only minor injuries. The U-2 was assigned to the 9th Reconnaissance Wing

  • FAST encourages minority students to fly

    The Air Force’s Flight Awareness Summer Training orientation program encourages ROTC cadets in minority-based college and university programs to investigate careers in aviation.Twenty-two cadets enrolled in the three-week program at Delaware State University attended the FAST forum at Dover Air

  • AF won’t court-martial F-16 pilots

    The 8th Air Force commander announced decisions regarding the Tarnak Farms “friendly-fire” cases of Majs. Harry Schmidt and William Umbach on June 19. Neither pilot will be referred to trial by court-martial.The two Illinois Air National Guard F-16 Fighting Falcon pilots from the 170th Fighter

  • Air Force releases academy sexual misconduct study

    Less than 1 percent of male cadets and 5 percent of female cadets at the Air Force Academy have been involved in known sexual assault allegations over the 10-year period examined, according to the report on academy sexual misconduct released June 19.The report acknowledged that sexual assaults are

  • Roadmap outlines tanker fleet changes

    The Air Force released a plan June 18 outlining the retirement of the remaining 133 E-model KC-135 Stratotankers and the proposed integration of the 100 KC-767A tankers it is leasing from Boeing.Through the “tanker roadmap,” the Air Force is laying out the initial stages of tanker recapitalization

  • Nuclear careers combine degrees, PME

    Officers in nuclear-related career fields will be among the first to participate in a program that combines professional military education and advanced-educational degrees, a Pentagon official said.Majors through colonels in nuclear science and engineering career fields will be able to earn both

  • One-stop shopping for U.S. defense

    People lingering in the newly built hallways of the U.S. Northern Command headquarters building here are likely to hear the phrase “one-stop shopping.”America’s newest military command is patterned on a simple retail concept that has been around for years -- everything people need in one convenient

  • Team assessing bombing targets

    On June 15, the Combined Weapons Effectiveness Assessment Team visited a site targeted by coalition aircraft during Operation Iraqi Freedom. A bunker was buried underneath layers of soil and concrete, hiding more than 25 compartments used to shield parts of Saddam Hussein's regime. In the next

  • AEF Center improves ‘online’ site

    The Air and Space Expeditionary Force Center here recently launched an improved version of their Web site, “AEF Online,” to help airmen learn more about the AEF and provide information about deployments.“We’ve made the site more user-friendly and more pleasing to the eye. Our goal was to organize

  • Air Force wins DOD value engineering awards

    The Air Force is the recipient of three Department of Defense Value Engineering Achievement Awards.Dr. Glenn F. Lamartin, defense systems director for the office of the undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics, presented the awards during a June 18 ceremony at the

  • Spending accounts open for enrollment

    Enrollments in the federal Flexible Spending Accounts program are now being accepted by the contractor. The deadline for Air Force civilians to enroll in the program has been extended to June 27, according to Air Force Personnel Center officials here.FSA is a new employment benefit that allows

  • Morale center keeps troops in touch

    Experts from the 5th Combat Communications Group here are providing more than just communications at Tallil Air Base, Iraq. They are boosting morale by providing phones and computers to American and coalition forces there.Word has gotten around about the 5th CCG's efforts to bridge the distance

  • Officer dismissed for drug use

    An officer here has been dismissed from the Air Force and will serve four months confinement after being convicted of several drug-related crimes in a general court-martial.Second Lt. Bryce Terpstra of the Air Force Safety Center pleaded guilty to using and possessing methamphetamine and possession

  • Operation Desert Scorpion continues throughout Iraq

    Operation Desert Scorpion continues throughout Iraq, said Army 5th Corps officials.Officials said Combined Joint Task Force 7 commanders are using all available assets in the hunt for former Saddam Hussein regime officials and forces. This includes air power and special operations forces as needed,

  • IG announces annual award winners

    The Air Force Inspector General announced the winners of the 2002 Howard W. Leaf Inspector General Awards on June 12.The award recognizes the outstanding enlisted and officer inspectors in the Air Force assigned to a major command inspector-general team.This year’s winners include:-- Enlisted

  • Airman’s daughter opens for Lee Greenwood

    Six-year-old Jordyn Tabury opened a concert for country-music artist Lee Greenwood during a military appreciation day concert at Six Flags in Agawam, Mass., on June 14.Jordyn sang “God Bless the USA” to more than 1,000 people at the concert. She is the daughter of Staff Sgt. Peter and Bernadette

  • Airmen reminded to update vRED

    In the five months since the official launch of the virtual record of emergency data, more than 383,000 airmen have updated their contact information. While this number is impressive, there is more work to be done, according to Air Force Personnel Center officials here."It's imperative we have

  • BEST newsletter keeps civilians current

    Less than 10 percent of Air Force civilians are taking advantage of a way to get information about their benefits, and Air Force Personnel Center officials here are encouraging more people to participate.By subscribing online to the Benefits and Entitlements Service Team newsletter, Air Force

  • Short-tour credit authorized for contingency deployments overseas

    A temporary exception to policy will award permanent change-of-station short-tour credit to many airmen deployed overseas for recent contingency operations, according to Air Force Personnel officials here.Eligible airmen must have been on temporary duty starting on or after Sept. 11, 2001, for at

  • Plan in motion to bring support troops home

    When the Air Force deployed its fighting forces for Operation Iraqi Freedom, a substantial portion of that contingent, about 65 percent, came from the installations and logistics community. This included civil engineers, services, supply, transportation and maintenance troops and airmen from the

  • Miniature decoy development begins

    Experts here are helping develop a miniature air-launched decoy that Air Force officials hope will entice enemy forces to prematurely disclose their air defense locations, keeping friendly pilots further out of harms way.Precision strike system program office experts awarded an $88 million,

  • ‘Young Eagles' take flight

    An "experience to remember" is how 12-year-old Danielle Orcutt described her recent flight here in a World War II-era aircraft piloted by retired Brig. Gen. Chuck Yeager.Danielle and 39 other "Young Eagles" were given the privilege of flying with aviation legends after winning an essay contest

  • Exercise gives warfighters’ perspective

    Thirty-eight Air Force Research Laboratory scientists and engineers traveled to Fort Drum, N.Y., May 31 to June 13 for Phoenix Warrior 2003.This annual exercise is tailored to show new technologies to the warfighting community and expose laboratory scientists and engineers to an operational

  • Air Force's first female boxer debuts

    An airman here is not worried about the odds of her winning her first national bout in Augusta, Ga., June 18 to 21 -- she has already beat the odds to become the first female on the Air Force boxing team.Staff Sgt. Charmaine Carrington, a 33rd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron weapons-load crew chief,

  • Online registration, voting expands

    A Department of Defense voting experiment in the 2000 presidential elections that allowed military and overseas voters to cast their ballots through the Internet will expand in 2004.Beginning this fall, Federal Voting Assistance Program officials hope to get as many as 100,000 military members --

  • Team assessing OIF air component effectiveness

    A team of nearly 100 experts in a variety of fields began traveling in Iraq on June 8 to visit up to 500 impact points targeted by coalition air component forces during Operation Iraqi Freedom.A portion of the Combined Weapons Effectiveness Assessment Team, or CWEAT, visited sites in Iraq earlier in

  • Base welcomes first commercial aircraft

    At 9:55 a.m. June 12, a small turbo-prop aircraft made history here as it became the first commercial cargo plane to land at the southern Iraqi base.The small, 10-passenger Raytheon Beechcraft 1900, operated by Falcon Express Cargo Airlines from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, made the first of future

  • Second F-16 crashes in Arizona this week

    An F-16 Fighting Falcon based here crashed June 13 at about 9:30 a.m. on the Barry M. Goldwater Range about five miles south of Gila Bend.Capt. Scott Arbogast, an instructor pilot assigned to the 61st Fighter Squadron here, safely ejected from the aircraft.The mishap marks the second Luke F-16 crash

  • Team will address total-force issues

    The Air Force is standing up a “tiger team” to address three major Air Reserve Component issues considered vital to the future success of the total force.The team, led by Brig. Gen. Jose M. Portela, will initially focus on income protection, medical care and changes to the implicit contract with

  • Post-deployment assessment improves health care

    The Air Force surgeon general is meeting the health challenges of airmen returning from Operation Iraqi Freedom with a more vigorous, face-to-face approach.Health-care providers have expanded and improved existing procedures by combining a larger database of existing health information about airmen,

  • Rumsfeld calls Belgium suits ‘absurd’

    Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said June 12 that American officials may stop attending NATO meetings in Belgium because of a law that allows "spurious" suits accusing American leaders of war crimes.Rumsfeld said the United States will withhold any further funding for a new NATO headquarters

  • Exercise challenges air traffic controllers

    Rising more than 14 stories above the runway, air traffic controllers scan a five-mile area including 3,000 feet above the base here. They are playing a key role in the movement of air traffic during Cooperative Cope Thunder, an exercise bringing pilots and ground personnel from around the world to

  • Technical orders a mouse-click away

    Well-thumbed-through volumes of technical orders are going the way of quill pens and ink pots here as a growing number of workers are using a browser-based TO library.Two years in the making, the library puts the latest technical orders a mouse-click away from each of the 10,000 or so mechanics at

  • Reserve air fleet call-up ending

    Gen. John W. Handy, commander of U.S. Transportation Command and Air Mobility Command, has determined that continuing the Civil Reserve Air Fleet call-up is not required. Fleet carriers have been notified that passenger aircraft called up to support Operation Iraqi Freedom will be released June

  • 44 civilian leaders witness airpower

    Forty-four U.S. civic, business and industry leaders witnessed military life June 9 when the Defense Secretary’s 2003 Joint Civilian Orientation Course stopped here for a firsthand look at what the U.S. Air Forces in Europe has to offer. Hand-picked from more than 6,000 applicants all vying for a

  • A-10s ready for OEF action

    About 150 people and eight A-10 Thunderbolt IIs deployed to Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, from Spangdahlem AB, Germany, to stand guard and support Operation Enduring Freedom and the war on terrorism.Spangdahlem’s people are taking over combat operations from the Maryland Air National Guard’s 104th

  • June 14 dedicated to 'Old Glory'

    Old Glory. Stars and Stripes. The Star-Spangled Banner.Most people know the names of the flag of the United States and that June 14 is Flag Day, but there is much more to one of the nation's most cherished symbols than its many monikers."It is important for us to commemorate our flag because it

  • Judge advocates play many roles in legal process

    Contrary to what is portrayed on television, military attorneys do more than prosecute cases.Many staff judge advocates and assistants spend less than 5 percent of their time in court, said Capt. Ron Spencer, 56th Fighter Wing assistant staff judge advocate here. Most of their casework is done

  • Time to modernize civilian personnel

    The "time is here and now" to modernize Defense Department personnel practices with changes to the civil service system, said David S. C. Chu, undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, during a Pentagon briefing June 10.In a step that will transform the way the DOD does business, Chu

  • Dyess sets record mission-capable rates

    When the 7th Bomb Wing’s B-1 Lancer maintainers and operators here surpassed Air Combat Command's monthly mission-capable rate two months in a row last June and July, officials called it "a huge success." It was the first time the wing had accomplished the feat.But that accomplishment was just the

  • On-site trainers saving time, money

    Seven Air Education and Training Command instructors will bring a Robins initiative to life soon that not only saves the government thousands of dollars, it allows 3,000 additional depot technicians to be trained annually.The program, also being implemented at Air Force Materiel Command air

  • International students build more than language skills

    In today’s world of international relations, building coalitions is important. For a group of international military students here, the term “building” recently took on a much different meaning. Rather than building a geopolitical relationship with their fellow students from other countries, these

  • Air Force releases F-15 accident report

    An Air Force Accident Investigation Board determined the cause of fatal F-15 Eagle accident was a breakdown in terrain avoidance responsibilities between the pilots and air traffic controllers on the ground.This breakdown led to a descent below safety altitudes without the pilots having positive

  • Airmen capture Iraqi republican guardsman

    Three air traffic control radar controllers were surprised June 9 when they found a member of Saddam Hussein’s republican guard hiding in an abandoned building by their radar site at the international airport here.While patrolling their site, Airman 1st Class Richard Mansure, deployed from the 305th

  • Security meets diplomacy

    Although the main objective of the 376th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron is to protect people and resources at Ganci Air Base, Kyrgyzstan, some of the squadron airmen have also a diplomatic role in their security duties.Tech. Sgt. Lex Goan regularly works one of the special posts patrolling a

  • F-16 crashes in Arizona

    An Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon jet assigned here crashed about 5:15 p.m. June 10 on the Barry M. Goldwater Range approximately 15 miles south of Gila Bend.Capt. David O’Malley, an instructor pilot with the 310th Fighter Squadron, safely ejected from the aircraft while on an air-to-ground training

  • Americans can join support team

    "Uncle Sam Wants You" is a familiar recruiting slogan to generations of Americans. But in this case, it is an invitation for all Americans to sign up for a different kind of military operation.Operation Tribute to Freedom, a Defense Department initiative, is a way for Americans to show their

  • Air Force surveying reservists

    This year, for the first time, the Air Force Climate Survey will include all Air Force reservists.Feedback from last year’s study, formerly the Air Force Chief of Staff Survey, prompted the Air Force to involve a larger audience in the new survey, which will gauge factors affecting the day-to-day

  • Air Medal awarded 59 years later

    After nearly six decades of waiting, a retired Air Force master sergeant and former Air Force Research Laboratory employee received his Air Medal at a June 2 ceremony here.Trinidad Castinado received the Air Medal, second oak leaf cluster, from Col. Mark Stephen, acting director of the

  • McGuire Starlifters thrive

    The 6th Airlift Squadron here may be the last active-duty squadron in the Air Force still flying C-141B Starlifters; however, the aircraft is far from being retired.Though the squadron is being drawn down to make way for the C-17 Globemaster III, its operations tempo has been on the rise. The