HomeNews

NATO Air Policing operations

U.S. Air Force News

  • B-52 integrates, trains with French allies

    A B-52 Stratofortress from Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, conducted a long-range training sortie April 20, to train and integrate with the French air force.

  • Randolph remembers Doolittle Raid’s impact on WWII

    The Doolittle Raiders were honored at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas, April 18 during a ceremony marking the 74th anniversary of their Tokyo raid during World War II. Retired Lt. Col. Dick Cole, a co-pilot in Doolittle’s bomber and one of two surviving Raiders, was in attendance and recalled

  • Battlefield Airmen pay tribute to fallen commander

    More than 200 Airmen from the 93rd Air Ground Operations Wing gathered at Avon Park Air Force Range, Florida, on April 15 to mourn and pay tribute to Lt. Col. William Schroeder, who was fatally shot a week before.

  • Pathways to Blue shows ROTC cadets the way

    More than 180 ROTC cadets from 22 colleges and 31 active-duty enlisted Airmen attended the second annual Pathways to Blue initiative April 15-16 hosted by Second Air Force at Keesler Air Force Base.

  • VCSAF, spouse take in Ramstein mission sets

    The Air Force's vice chief of staff and his spouse visited Ramstein Air Base on April 18 to meet with Airmen and familiarize themselves with the mission sets of Ramstein’s three different wings.

  • Army, Air Force train for short takeoff, landing

    Airmen from the 321st Special Tactics Squadron out of Royal Air Force Mildenhall, England, and Soldiers from the 173rd Brigade Support Battalion, 173rd Airborne Brigade out of Vicenza, Italy, secured the Hohenfels Training Area’s short takeoff and landing strip (STOL) April 13, as part of their

  • Exercise Max Thunder 16 launches at Kunsan

    U.S. Air Force, Army, Marine Corps and Navy personnel and aircraft will train with South Korean air force counterparts in the bilateral training exercise Max Thunder 16, at Kunsan Air Base April 15-29.

  • Carter discusses ISIL, Iran with Airmen in United Arab Emirates

    Defense Secretary Ash Carter discussed the “two I’s” – ISIL and Iran -- with U.S. Airmen at Al-Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates April 16. Defeating the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant is the highest priority for American forces in the region, the secretary told the Airmen.

  • Yokota aids Japan with earthquake relief

    The 374th Airlift Wing sent two C-130 Hercules aircraft and aircrew to the Kyushu region April 18, supporting the government of Japan in their relief efforts for the series of earthquakes that took place in Kumamoto Prefecture and surrounding areas.

  • Mobility Airmen support Canadian exercise in High Arctic

    Fifty Airmen from the New York Air National Guard's 109th Airlift Wing and two ski-equipped LC-130 Hercules are in the High Arctic supporting the Canadian Armed Forces’ annual Operation Nunalivut exercise in Canada's Nunavut territory.

  • Phoenix Ravens protect mobility mission

    A select group of Airmen are tasked with providing close-in security for mobility air forces aircraft transiting airfields where security is unknown or additional security is needed to counter local threats. They are known as Phoenix Ravens.

  • DCMO leading continuous process improvement

    The Air Force Deputy Chief Management Officer is leading continuous process improvement by finding innovative ways to maximize Air Force resources and increase efficiency in areas concerning people, money and time.

  • US, Dominican Republic strengthen partnerships while building hospitals

    Through a joint training exercise, civil engineers with the 820th RED HORSE Squadron from Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, have been working together with their Dominican partners throughout April to build four clinics and a vocational school in the Maria Trinidad Sanchez Province.

  • Online registration for 2016 DOD Warrior Games now open

    Online registration is now open to participate in the 2016 Department of Defense Warrior Games at cvent.com. Volunteers, media and distinguished visitors -- as well as selected athletes, family members, non-medical attendants, staff and coaches -- must register online to participate.

  • AF names candidate bases, criteria for choosing next F-35A sites

    Air Force officials announced April 12 that Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona; Homestead Air Reserve Base, Florida; Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Texas; and Whiteman AFB, Missouri, are candidate bases for the first Reserve-led F-35A Lightning II location.

  • F-22s deploy to Europe to show support for allies

    F-22 Raptors, Airmen and associated equipment were deployed to Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England, on April 11 to conduct air training with other Europe-based aircraft. The F-22s come from the 95th Fighter Squadron at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, and will continue training until May.

  • James visits Airmen supporting Honduras mission

    The men and women of Joint Task Force-Bravo hosted Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James April 8 at Soto Cano Air Base, as she wrapped up her visit to various units in the U.S. Southern Command area of responsibility.

  • Mixed martial Airman

    Senior Airman Jeremiah Garber, an analyst with the 355th Maintenance Group, intends to take his mixed martial arts game to the next level with intense training in Arizona.

  • Air Force approves RPA initiatives

    The Air Force recently approved two initiatives for the remotely piloted aircraft career field. First, eight RPA reconnaissance squadrons will be redesignated as attack squadrons. Second, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III authorized RPA aircrews to log combat time when flying an

  • Rice nominated to become next Air National Guard director

    Defense Secretary Ash Carter announced April 5 that President Barack Obama has nominated Maj. Gen. L. Scott Rice for appointment to the rank of lieutenant general and for assignment as director of the Air National Guard.

  • Cody engages with deployed Airmen

    Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James A. Cody engaged with Airmen deployed to Afghanistan in support of the NATO Resolute Support mission and Operation Freedom’s Sentinel from April 4-6 through a series of Q&A format all calls, small group discussions and personal site visits.

  • Update: Officials identify Airmen killed in Lackland shooting

    The 502nd Air Base Wing and Joint Base San Antonio commander, Brig. Gen. Robert LaBrutta, confirmed the identities of the two Airmen killed in a workplace violence incident April 8 at the Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland Medina Annex, according to a news release.

  • Air Force, Army build partnership for energy assurance

    The military’s ability to accomplish its missions -- whether executing today’s fight or training for future ones -- is dependent on electricity that powers installations. The Army and Air Force have identified energy resilience as a critical objective, advancing the capability for their systems,

  • AF talks diversity of opportunities at annual engineers conference

    What do measuring earthquakes, creating lightning and applying space-like pressure to marshmallows all have in common? They each were demonstrations of science and technology used to intrigue the next generation of engineers on the Air Force’s capabilities and opportunities during the National

  • Flares keep birds in the sky

    They are hot, bright and a visual spectacle. But they are not your run-of-the-mill fireworks being shot off in celebration. Flares used by pilots are life-saving emergency countermeasures that keep Dover Air Force Base, Delaware, aircraft in the skies delivering airlift cargo to the warfighter.

  • Gorenc discusses European Reassurance Initiative, air police mission

    The commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe - Air Forces Africa said April 5 that the increase in European Reassurance Initiative funds next year will allow his command to improve its presence and facilities on the eastern side of NATO and to deter Russia. Gen. Frank Gorenc also told the Defense

  • B-52 conducts long-range training with Colombian forces

    A B-52 Stratofortress from Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, conducted a long-range training sortie to engage with South American military partners April 1-2. During the course of the 27-hour, nonstop mission, the aircrew trained with the Colombian air force before executing a flyover of the

  • Passion vs. priorities

    Physical fitness doesn’t come easy for everyone -- sometimes the drive to finish one more repetition or set a new personal best just doesn’t cut it. For 1st Lt. Christian Torres, having the spirit to stay mentally and physically strong when going through adversity is not just found in the gym, it’s

  • F-16 crews soar in South Korean exercise

    F-16 Fighting Falcon pilots from the 80th Fighter Squadron practiced combined flying operations March 28-31 alongside counterparts from the South Korean air force’s 19th Fighter Wing at Jungwon Air Base during Buddy Wing 16-3.

  • Eielson selected to receive operational F-35A aircraft

    Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, was selected as the new home for the Air Force’s first operational overseas F-35A Lightning IIs. Air Force officials chose Eielson AFB after a lengthy analysis of the location’s operational considerations, installation attributes, environmental factors and cost.

  • Airmen discuss one of the little-known best jobs in Air Force

    If you’re an Airman with technical skills, an outstanding performer who always meets physical training standards and has completed all military and other education requirements, the 844th Communications Squadron may have a job for you. The jobs themselves vary, but all involve working as part of the

  • Airfield management Airmen support combat sorties

    A team of Airmen at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, is responsible for inspecting almost 50 million square feet of pavement every day, as they support operations at the largest airfield in the U.S. Air Forces Central Command.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • Wartime medical innovation saves lives at home

    In January, the Food and Drug Administration approved the REBOA catheter, or resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta. The REBOA is a device that’s inserted into a hemorrhaging vessel and stops or slows blood flow to that injury, while allowing blood flow to continue to other body

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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

  • 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

  • AFSVA gets ready for 2016 youth camps

    Teenagers looking to cure those summertime blues will have various camps to choose from this year, thanks to central funding from the Air Force Services Activity, also known as AFSVA.

  • US, Turkish KC-135 units fly together for first time

    To better understand how each nation completes the vital air refueling mission, the U.S. Air Force and Turkish air force flew KC-135 Stratotankers together in formation for the first time March 8 over the Nevada Test and Training Range, northeast of Nellis Air Force Base.

  • Cope Tiger 2016 enhances capabilities through teamwork

    Readiness and continued development of multilateral interoperability remains a key priority for Indo-Asia-Pacific partners participating in the 22nd year of exercise Cope Tiger, a joint multilateral field training exercise that began March 7 at Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base. During the two-week

  • Around the Air Force: March 18

    This look around the Air Force features the Solid State Phased Array Radar System, Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James discusses offset strategies, and exercise Cope Tiger.

  • ACC commander addresses RPA health to Senate Armed Services Committee

    Gen. Hawk Carlisle, the commander of Air Combat Command, addressed plans to improve the health of the Air Force remotely piloted aircraft enterprise March 16 during a hearing of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee’s Airland subcommittee in Washington, D.C. The purpose of the hearing was to

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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

  • James visits Luke AFB for more insight on F-35 ops

    Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James met with Airmen to gain a better understanding of Luke Air Force Base’s mission with a focus on F-35 Lightning II operations, and its maintenance and training facilities March 9-10. During her first visit to the base, James held an all call where she took time

  • 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

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • Army Rangers exercise close air support with F-35s

    Although the Air Force separated from the Army in 1947, the two forces have a long history of working together to dominate the sky and ground in combat. This tradition continues today with the 3rd Ranger Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment's recent visit to Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, to conduct

  • 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.

  • Raven B: Securing the perimeter from above

    Small, hand-held, unmanned, light weight and remotely operated drones describe one of the ways technology is used to ensure the safety of deployed personnel. The 379th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron secures the base perimeter with help from the Raven B Digital Data Link drone at Al Udeid Air

  • 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

  • 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

  • AF selects 6 enlisted Airmen for medical prep school

    The Enlisted Medical Degree Preparatory Program, which begins in July, offers enlisted members a chance to attend medical prep school full time for two years while maintaining active-duty status. The program includes coursework in a traditional classroom setting with structured pre-health advising

  • Proficiency is key when accessing Alaska’s remote locations

    From the northernmost to the southernmost point, Alaska measures 1,420 miles -- the distance from Denver to Mexico City. Alaska has more than 600,000 square miles of land, and some locations are inaccessible, except by air. C-12F Huron pilots assigned to the 517th Airlift Squadron provide air

  • Chaplain survives aftermath of son’s suicide; spreads awareness

    While enjoying a drive through the rolling Tennessee countryside with his wife, the shrill ring of his cell phone pierced through the tranquility of the moment. Maj. William D. Logan's daughter, Blair, managed to utter, "Zac has done something really bad."

  • 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.

  • Becoming a boom

    From an early age, Airman 1st Class Shelby Bowling, a 350th Air Refueling Squadron boom operator, had an idea of what she wanted to do when she grew up. It wasn't until midway through her time in college that life provided her an opportunity to take a chance.

  • 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

  • High voltage Airmen keep power going at Eielson

    Driving through the mountains in the beautiful, sunshine of summer; braving the harsh, cold winters; and ensuring the light-filled airfield is always lit is something Senior Airman Travis Bothast and Airman 1st Class Anthony Cooper know all too well as electrical systems Airmen.

  • Hill's F-35s drop first weapons

    Airmen from the 388th and 419th fighter wings dropped laser-guided bombs at the Utah Test and Training Range the week of Feb. 25, marking the first time an F-35 Lightning II combat unit has deployed weapons from the F-35A.

  • Price of perfection: AF Honor Guard Drill Team

    A standard U.S. Air Force Drill Team performance features a professionally choreographed sequence of show-stopping weapon maneuvers, precise tosses, complex weapon exchanges, and a walk through the gauntlet of spinning weapons. Airman 1st Class Larry Brown has trained for more than a year for the