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  • Ramstein units step up to help military families leaving Turkey

    An ordered departure for U.S. military family members to leave Turkey due to security concerns March 29, resulted in many of them traveling through Ramstein Air Base, Germany. Members of the Kaiserslautern military community, including Ramstein personnel, pitched in to assist fellow military

  • Incirlik ensures safe departure of families from Turkey

    While Incirlik Air Base remains a hub of activity in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, an ordered departure was approved March 29 for families of military members and Defense Department civilians stationed in Adana, Izmir and Mugla, Turkey, to include those on base.

  • Deployed together: A tale of twin brothers

    Twin brothers often share similar experiences from birth to high school graduation. But only a few can claim to serve in a deployed unit at the same time. Senior Airman Emmanuel Taveras, an electrical and environmental journeyman, and his twin brother, Senior Airman Carlos Taveras, an aircraft

  • Cadets, special tactics Airmen honor fallen Academy grad

    More than 150 special tactics Airmen and U.S. Air Force Academy cadets honored fallen Academy graduate and Silver Star medal recipient Capt. Matthew D. Roland, dedicating a memorial display and completing memorial pushups in formation here March 30.

  • First families arrive at Ramstein from Turkey

    The first group of families arrived at Ramstein Air Base March 30 after the State Department and the secretary of defense approved the ordered departure of dependents of service members and Defense Department civilian personnel currently stationed in Adana, Izmir, and Mugla, Turkey.

  • Staff sergeant LEAPs on opportunity to use native tongue

    Born and raised in Nizhnekamsk, Russia, Anastasia Stuart traveled to the U.S. as a young adult with the intention of only staying a year to improve her English. One year quickly turned into two, and before she knew it, she enlisted into the U.S. Air Force.

  • James announces Office of Energy Assurance

    Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James announced the establishment of the Air Force Office of Energy Assurance and conducted a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland March 22.

  • State Department, DOD approve dependents’ departure from Turkey

    The secretary of defense, in coordination with the secretary of state, has authorized the ordered departure of all Defense Department dependents not assigned to chief of mission authority from Adana (to include Incirlik Air Base), Ismir and Mugla, Turkey.

  • Maintenance is key to keeping Yokota, Kadena aircraft flying

    The aircraft at Yokota and Kadena air bases in Japan rely on the 374th Maintenance Squadron’s phase docks to receive their maintenance and keep them going. Every 540 days, a C-130 Hercules or MC-130 Talon II enters the phase docks for an inspection and repairs. During the 14- to 16-day process,

  • Airmen reflect on B-1 bomber attacks over Libya

    Five years ago, a phone rang in the 28th Bomb Wing vice commander's office and made history. Less than 72 hours later, on March 27, 2011, more than 1,100 maintenance personnel launched four B-1B Lancer bombers from the Ellsworth Air Force Base flightline in blizzard conditions to support Operation

  • Airman attributes life changes to wrestling

    After moving from project housing to a higher income city when he was 9 years old, Morris Thomas, now a 50th Space Wing Safety Office staff sergeant, started a new school and was thrown into a world of discrimination and prejudice.

  • Crosstalks aimed at improving KC-135 service

    Experts from the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, the Air Force Reserve, National Guard Bureau and the Legacy Tanker Division conducted a customer support visit to Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, and at two other bases March 14-18 to listen to unit concerns regarding KC-135 Stratotanker

  • Putting the Pegasus through its paces

    As the Air Force gets ready for the arrival of its newest aerial refueling and strategic military transport aircraft, a diverse group of Airmen is working hard to make sure the KC-46A Pegasus is ready to meet the service’s needs. Lt. Col. John Mikal is one of them.

  • JB Charleston Airmen support presidential mission to Cuba

    As President Barack Obama landed in Havana, Cuba, it marked the first time a sitting U.S. president visited the communist nation in over 88 years, and Airmen from Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina, played a pivotal role in the historic mission.

  • AFSVA on trend with mystery escape rooms

    Interactive, immersive escape rooms, such as Moriarty’s Parlor, are gaining popularity worldwide as entertainment and team-building experiences. The Air Force Services Activity is offering a choice of six room scenarios to 20 Air Force installations enterprise-wide as part of its Recharge for

  • Airmen’s Week marks first anniversary

    The 37th Training Wing will mark the first year of the Airmen’s Week program on March 25 at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas. Airmen’s Week is a five-day course that helps Airmen better prepare for technical training school and beyond.

  • Malmstrom mechanics testing new bio-based vehicle oil

    Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana is one of four bases across the service chosen to test out a new bio-based synthetic oil in its vehicles. The experiment, being carried out by the 341st Logistics Readiness Squadron vehicle management flight, is headed by the Defense Logistics Agency and the 441st

  • Around the Air Force: March 23

    This look around the Air Force features the first female combatant commander and the Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III testified on Capitol Hill.

  • New Reserve unit to open doors at Keesler

    The 403rd Wing is going through a period of growth with the activation of an additional aircraft maintenance squadron solely focused on keeping the 815th Airlift Squadron's 10 C-130J Super Hercules aircraft healthy and in the air.

  • Chasing opportunity to fulfill a dream

    All children have dreams and it was no different for Lt. Col. Brett Chung growing up in Nagoya, Japan. Coming to the United States was something Chung thought about on a regular basis. Now many years later, he has not only fulfilled his youthful dream of coming to America he has seized opportunity,

  • Airman, family injured in Brussels bombings

    A U.S. Airman from Joint Force Command Brunssum in the Netherlands and members of the Airman’s family were injured in an attack at the Brussels airport March 22, Air Force officials confirmed.

  • Flying the RPA mission

    The aircraft is ready to fly, the ground control stations are up and running, and the crews have been briefed. Now it’s time to fly the remotely piloted aircraft. The pilot, sensor operator, and mission intelligence coordinator step into the control station to prepare for flight, but they’re not

  • AF Research Lab seeks to turn waste into energy

    It may seem like a scene from “Back to the Future,” but the Air Force Research Laboratory is looking to turn fiction into reality with a nearly $7 million waste-to-energy project.

  • Robinson tapped to be first female combatant commander

    Defense Secretary Ash Carter has named a new commander for U.S. Northern Command to be confirmed by the Senate. If confirmed, the new Northern Command chief will be the first woman to lead a U.S. combatant command.

  • Andrews Airmen enable Obama’s historic Cuba visit

    President Barack Obama touched down in Cuba on the iconic Air Force One on March 20, becoming the first sitting U.S. president to visit the country in nearly 90 years. While world leaders and citizens tuned into national news broadcasts of the visit, the men and women of the 89th Airlift Wing

  • Inspired NCO spends career molding Airmen

    After troubles in high school, Joshua Smith found discipline in the Air Force and now teaches others as an Airman leadership school instructor at McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas.

  • Air Force leaders present FY 2017 budget request

    The military services’ secretaries and chiefs presented their respective branch’s fiscal year 2017 budget plan March 16 on Capitol Hill.Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III testified on the Air Force’s fiscal 2017 national defense authorization

  • Goldfein addresses readiness, budget

    Military vice chiefs testified about the current state of readiness of U.S. forces before the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support on Capitol Hill March 15.

  • Sentinel of space found in Alaskan wilderness

    Among the bears, moose, wolves and wolverines of Alaska's interior is a silent sentinel of space -- Clear Air Force Station. Its personnel keep an eye on things above for the sake of tactical warning of ballistic missile attacks against the U.S. and Canada and space situational awareness.

  • Goldfein: Optimistic about future of airpower

    Equals part challenge and opportunity -- that’s how Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. David L. Goldfein described as the current state of the Air Force March 10 during a Defense Programs Conference in Washington, D.C.

  • Total force team moves the mission in defending South Korea

    In an effort to deter aggression, fighter aircraft routinely fly while troops on the ground mobilize and train to defend South Korea. However, there still lies another piece to the puzzle. That puzzle piece is none other than the 607th Air Mobility Division.

  • TAAC-Air work with Afghan AF to build sustainable force

    A small group of Train Advise Assist Command–Air advisors make up the 441st and 442nd air expeditionary advisory squadrons at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan. Both squadrons are focused on working shoulder to shoulder with the Afghan Air Force to develop a professional, capable and sustainable air

  • Lessons learned from Operation Desert Storm

    Twenty five years ago, the world watched a display of military force in the Persian Gulf. America’s adversaries have spent each year since pursuing capabilities both to counter U.S. strengths and to exploit perceived weaknesses. Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein participated in a

  • Mildenhall NCO risks everything; recognized with Airman’s Medal

    Staff Sgt. Vicente Gomez, a 100th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron crew chief, made the usual right turn onto Eriswell Road toward Royal Air Force Mildenhall, England, but came across smoke rising from two vehicles which had just collided moments earlier and a third car that had been run off the road.

  • Airmen to appear on ‘Weather Geeks’

    For some Airmen, being called a weather geek is a term of endearment. Two Airmen from the 557th Weather Wing recently embraced their inner geek and will share their passion and expertise on an upcoming episode of "Weather Geeks" on the Weather Channel.

  • Air Force continues to pursue total force integration

    The Air Force continues to make strides toward total force integration, according to an annual report submitted to Congress March 4. The report is based on recommendations from the National Commission on the Structure of the Air Force and focuses on how the force structure should be modified to best

  • Sleep is serious: Catch your Zzzs

    “Beep. Beep. Beep,” the alarm blares. Time to get up. Do you hit snooze? On average, we spend 33 percent of our lives asleep. When assessing your overall health, have you considered your sleep habits?

  • Fairchild Airman named Red Cross Hometown Hero

    Master Sgt. Stephanie Horn, the health services manager for the 92nd Medical Group, was recognized as an American Red Cross Hometown Hero Feb. 26 by the American Red Cross Association for her lifesaving actions in January 2015 in Spokane, Washington.

  • Airmen help Soldiers, South Korea military in joint training

    Osan Air Base, South Korea, was tested March 10, when South Korea and U.S. military branches banded together in a multi-service, multi-cultural, chemical detection and decontamination exercise scenario here during Beverly Midnight 16-01.

  • Newest 'Freedom Flyer' takes final flight for his B-52 crew

    The events on Dec. 20, 1972, were clearly on the mind of former Air Force pilot Paul Granger as he exited a T-38C Talon following a special hourlong flight March 3 that began and ended on the east flightline at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas.

  • DOD-wide Windows 10 rapid deployment to boost cybersecurity

    The Defense Department will deploy Windows 10 departmentwide by January to strengthen cybersecurity and streamline the information technology operating environment, according to a Feb. 26 memo by Deputy Defense Secretary Bob Work.

  • Resilience pays off on road to Air Force

    From being a young boy who could not speak a word of English to an Airman who instructs others on the effects altitude has on the human body, Senior Airman Jae Yu, of the 21st Aerospace Medicine Squadron, practiced resilience far before he ever joined the Air Force.

  • F-35 to touch down at air shows around the world

    Aviation and F-35A Lightning II fanatics have something special to look forward to this 2016 air show season. The Lightning II qualified March 6 at the Heritage Flight Conference at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, to take part in the Air Combat Command Air Force Heritage Flight program.

  • Combat camera Airmen hone battlefield capabilities through Scorpion Lens

    More than 100 photo and broadcast journalists from the 1st Combat Camera Squadron at Joint Base Charleston and the 3rd Combat Camera Squadron from Joint Base San Antonio, Texas, are participating in Scorpion Lens 2016, an ability to survive and operate exercise at McCrady Training Center on Fort

  • AF senior leaders brief State of the Air Force

    Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III discussed the State of the Air Force during a press conference at the Pentagon March 7.

  • Flint recruiters assist community in crisis

    Recruiters are known as the face of the Air Force in communities all across the U.S., and in Flint, Michigan, local recruiters Staff Sgts. Parker Smith and David Whitney are also known as the faces of compassion and humanitarian service. The two recruiters have been volunteering every Wednesday and

  • Providing critical support to the AOR

    A team of nearly 40 Airmen at Al Udeid Air Base loads and off-loads thousands of pounds of cargo into aircraft almost daily. The Airmen assigned to the 8th Expeditionary Air Mobility Squadron’s Ramp Services section are responsible for loading and unloading a wide variety of cargo including

  • Air Force teams win at inaugural D3 summit

    Two Air Force teams won awards at the inaugural Defense, Diplomacy and Development Innovation Summit Pitch Challenge, organized jointly by the Defense Department, State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development March 3 in Washington, D.C. The top six teams out of 500 submissions

  • James, Welsh testify before Congress

    The Air Force’s top two senior leaders testified before the House Appropriations Committee on Defense March 2 and the Senate Armed Services Committee March 3. They attested to the critical need of readiness. With less than half of the Air Force’s combat forces prepared for a high-end fight, the

  • Chièvres AB: Separated, self-sufficient

    Chièvres Air Base is home to the 424th Air Base Squadron, a group of Airmen nestled in the heart of the Belgian countryside to provide airfield operations support for the Supreme Allied Commander Europe and Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE), NATO transient aircraft and distinguished

  • Tuskegee Airman reflects on diversity

    It was 1944 and the U.S. was in the midst of two battles -- a war on two sides of the world and the onslaught of cultural changes on the homefront. Meanwhile, a young African-American Soldier picked up trash on the white sandy beaches at Keesler Field, Mississippi. He had been briefed that although

  • F-15 maintainers keep exercise going in Portugal

    The 493rd Aircraft Maintenance Unit is playing a major role to keep their F-15C and D Eagles flying high during exercise Real Thaw, a Portuguese-led, large joint and combined forces exercise that trains participating forces on a vast range of battlefield mission sets.

  • C-17 Airmen expand global reach

    Forging combat mobility forces is something that the aircrew instructors of the C-17 Globemaster III take extremely serious, but that mission is not just limited to skies over the U.S. A team of Airmen from Altus Air Force Base, Oklahoma, and Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, recently spent two

  • Keeping the C-17 in the fight

    The 8th Expeditionary Air Mobility Squadron maintenance team at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, helps keep the base’s C-17 Globemaster III fleet mission ready by performing regular maintenance on each aircraft. The unit provides the only tier two C-17 maintenance capability in the U.S. Central Command

  • Air Force reveals B-21 Long Range Strike Bomber

    Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James revealed the first rendering of the Long Range Strike Bomber, designated the B-21, at the Air Force Association’s Air Warfare Symposium Feb. 26 in Orlando, Fla., and announced the Air Force will be taking suggestions from Airmen to help decide the name of the

  • First Partner Nation Silver Flag concludes at Andersen AFB

    After spending more than a week sharing civil engineering techniques, 54 engineers from the U.S. Air Force, Royal Australian Air Force, Republic of Singapore Air Force, South Korean air force and Japan Air Self-Defense Force concluded the Partner Nation Silver Flag exercise Feb. 19 at Andersen Air

  • Welsh presents AF update at AFA

    Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. Mark A. Welsh III outlined Air Force operations from 2015, the service’s plan for 2016, and what is to come in the future at the Air Force Association’s Air Warfare Symposium Feb. 25.

  • Cody gives enlisted perspective at AFA

    Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James A. Cody spoke to a room of Airmen and civilians about today’s generation of Airmen and their families during the Air Force Association Air Warfare Symposium Feb. 25.

  • 54 selected for Undergraduate Flying Training program

    Fifty-three company grade officers and one major have been selected for the Air Force's Undergraduate Flying Training program. The UFT annual selection board convened in January to consider active-duty candidates for the program. Those selected will attend pilot, remotely piloted aircraft, combat

  • AF rapid response unit enhances their skills during Patriot Sands

    Members from the 315th Airlift Wing’s Airlift Control Flight (ALCF) took part in Patriot Sands, a training exercise that kicked off Feb. 17 at Hunter Army Airfield. The exercise incorporated the resources of several ALCF units, as well as affiliate agencies such as the FBI’s Rapid Response Team and

  • Disbrow confirmed as under secretary of the Air Force

    The U.S. Senate recently confirmed Lisa S. Disbrow as the new under secretary of the Air Force to ensure efficient and effective management of Air Force resources. In this position, Disbrow oversees the Air Force’s annual budget of more than $120 billion and serves as the co-chair of the top Air

  • Al Udeid shop operates most productive AF wheel, tire repair facility

    The 379th Expeditionary Maintenance Squadron operates the only wheel and tire repair facility in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility and the most productive facility in the Air Force. In the past year, the squadron’s wheel and tire maintenance team produced 3,000 serviceable tires, more

  • Air Force senior leaders share lessons learned from Desert Storm

    During recent visits to Howard University and the University of Maryland, two Air Force senior leaders shared memories and lessons learned from Operation Desert Storm with more than 160 Washington, D.C., area Air Force ROTC cadets as part of the Air Force’s focus on the 25th anniversary of the

  • CSAF celebrates Whiteman total force excellence

    Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III visited Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, Feb. 16-18 to engage with civic leaders and meet Airmen of the world's only B-2 Spirit stealth bomber base.

  • New co-chairman joins Air Force’s retiree council

    A new co-chairman will share the head of the table at this year's Air Force Retiree Council meeting in May. Retired Lt. Gen. Stephen Hoog, who left active duty in October, succeeds retired Lt. Gen. Steven Polk as council co-chair with retired Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force Rodney McKinley.

  • GAO denies protest, Air Force proceeds with LRS-B

    The Government Accountability Office denied The Boeing Company’s protest of the Long Range Strike Bomber contract award following a comprehensive review of the source selection process. The Air Force was confident that the source selection team followed a deliberate, disciplined and impartial

  • Air Force continues to improve care in the air

    The Air Mobility Command Surgeon General’s office and researchers across the Air Force, to include the 711th Human Resource Wing at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, have been working together to improve how the Air Force provides care in the air. The AMC/SG is responsible for clinical

  • Out of the shadows: ACMS Airmen provide missing link

    Preparing to support remotely piloted aircraft operations is no easy task. Still, Airmen assigned to the 432nd Wing/432nd Air Expeditionary Wing recently spent time showing leadership exactly what it takes to provide RPA intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance support at any time.

  • AF remembers pioneer of DOD transportation

    Retired Gen. Duane F. Cassidy, the first "dual-hatted" commander of both U.S. Transportation Command and Military Airlift Command, passed away Feb. 8 at the age of 82.

  • SecAF, CSAF testify on FY 2017 AF posture

    Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III testified before the Senate Appropriations Committee on the fiscal year 2017 Air Force posture on Capitol Hill Feb. 10.

  • MacDill Airmen watch over DOD aircraft in foreign nations

    A single error on an airport approach procedure can put the lives of pilots, crew members and their passengers in danger. To protect Defense Department aircraft, specialized teams of air traffic controllers personally ensure they land safely when flying abroad.

  • AF announces stand up of Integrated Wing

    The Air Force will stand up an Integrated Wing pilot program at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina, according to Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James.

  • Hurlburt combats Zika with knowledge

    Following the World Health Organization declaring an international emergency and Florida Gov. Rick Scott calling a state health emergency, Hurlburt Field, Florida, is taking action to protect Airmen and their families from the Zika virus.

  • Attachés use C-12 to support humanitarian efforts in Maldives

    Members of the Bangkok Defense Attaché Office recently completed a humanitarian mission to the Maldives. Working with DAO Colombo, the Colombo U.S. Embassy political office and the Special Operations Command-Pacific, the Bangkok DAO delivered medical supplies and books to some of the more remote

  • AF implements new DOD-wide changes to maternity leave

    Beginning Feb. 2, active-duty female Airmen will receive up to 12 continuous, non-transferable weeks of fully paid maternity leave in accordance with Defense Department-wide changes to the policy outlined in Defense Secretary Ash Carter’s Force of the Future announcement Jan. 28.

  • Arabian Gulf Shield improves interoperability

    Training concluded Feb. 3 at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, with a scenario designed to test Gulf Cooperation Council Liaison Officer (GCC LNO) procedures and connectivity to host nation air operations centers.

  • CCAF breaks record for 6th consecutive year

    The Community College of the Air Force awarded 23,206 associate of applied science degrees in 2015, breaking the record for number of graduates for the sixth consecutive year.

  • Biking brings hope to wounded, recovering veterans

    Members from Creech Air Force Base, Nevada, volunteered as part of the Ride 2 Recovery (R2R) program and brought more than 20 wounded and recovering veterans together for the Vegas Challenge Feb. 1-3 in Blue Diamond, Nevada.

  • From World War II to Afghanistan: USO marks 75th anniversary

    The USO marked its 75th anniversary Feb. 4 at a gala in Washington, D.C. Medal of Honor recipients, USO volunteers, active-duty personnel, veterans, members of Congress, and stars of stage, screen and music gathered to mark a milestone for an organization founded as the United States geared up for

  • Comm Airmen keep $84M network running

    With hundreds of thousands of megabytes of data whizzing along miles of fiber optic wire, only stopping briefly to be digested by a network computer before blazing off to its next destination, managing this cyber domain requires a skilled team of expertly trained individuals; in the case of a

  • Comptroller Airmen manage millions, serve thousands

    The 379th Expeditionary Comptroller Squadron manages more than $160 million and serves about 60,000 customers annually. More than a dozen Airmen make up the 379th ECPTS team. Those Airmen provide a range of financial services at Al Udeid Air Base, including financial analysis, military pay, travel

  • AGE mechanics provide vital mission support

    The 379th Expeditionary Maintenance Squadron’s Aerospace Ground Equipment Flight at Al Udeid Air Base is the largest AGE flight in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. The section also provides ground equipment maintenance support to six bases across the CENTCOM AOR, which consists of 20

  • Officer developmental education application window opens Feb. 8

    Eligible active-duty officers can apply for intermediate and senior developmental education opportunities beginning in February. Officer nominations, with senior rater endorsements, will be accepted beginning Feb. 8 and are due to the Air Force Personnel Center no later than March 14.