HomeNews

NATO Air Policing operations

U.S. Air Force News

  • Crew chief scores AF ‘hat trick’

    Master Sgt. Jeremy Michael Hord, the 379th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron aircraft section chief, recently scored an Air Force hat trick by finally launching every active bomber in the Air Force’s inventory into combat.

  • CHIEFchat: EPRs heading in the right direction

    The Air Force’s top enlisted leader addressed the new enlisted performance report and gave insight to feedback he’s received during his latest edition of CHIEFchat at the Defense Media Activity on Fort George G. Meade. Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James A. Cody encouraged Airmen to forget

  • AF releases Air Superiority 2030 Flight Plan

    The Air Force released a flight plan directing development activity as a result of a yearlong study focused on developing capability options to ensure joint force air superiority in 2030 and beyond.

  • Airman finds direction in aircraft maintenance

    Reasons for joining the Air Force are varied. For Staff Sgt. Terrell Cole, a 660th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron communication/navigation mission system craftsman, joining the Air Force meant a future for himself and his future family.

  • Barksdale unit first to train with latest B-52 upgrade

    The last B-52 Stratofortress rolled off the assembly line in 1962, but while the airframe itself is well-seasoned, the internal components are continually upgraded to keep up with the demands of the modern battlespace. Efforts like the Military Standard 1760 Internal Weapons Bay Upgrade program aim

  • Exchange program works to retain Airmen

    In an effort to educate, retain and expand the views of Airmen at McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas, a civil engineer squadron member has recently started an Airmen exchange program.

  • Hurricane Hunters, NOAA stress hurricane preparedness

    An Air Force Reserve “Hurricane Hunter” aircrew with their WC-130J Super Hercules joined National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration hurricane experts May 16-20 to promote preparedness at five Gulf Coast cities.

  • Chief becomes first AF E-9 to graduate Ranger School

    The average U.S. Army Ranger School student is in the rank of E-4 through E-6 on the enlisted side and O-1 through O-3 for the officers. Most are between 19 and 27 years old, and only about 21 Airmen graduate each year. Then there are candidates like 39-year-old Chief Master Sgt. William Speck, who

  • Air Force applies new EPA guidance

    The Air Force will apply new Environmental Protection Agency guidance for perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) to its ongoing effort to determine if water supplies at its U.S. installations and in local communities are at risk for contamination.

  • Reservist's book makes CSAF reading list

    The service’s top general has selected a biography written by an Air Force reservist for inclusion on this year’s Air Force Chief of Staff Reading List. “At All Costs” by Chief Master Sgt. Matt Proietti tells the life and death story of Medal of Honor recipient Chief Master Sgt. Richard L. “Dick”

  • A prescription for problems

    Making sure their medical records are up to date and accurate could save Airmen selected for a random drug test a lot of trouble.

  • Dover entomologists help curb spread of Zika

    After Italy issued aircraft guidelines to combat the Zika epidemic, the 436th Civil Engineer Squadron Pest Management section is ensuring Air Force aircraft are able to fly in country.

  • Flight plan outlines next 20 years for RPA

    Air Force leaders outlined what the next 20 years will look like for remotely piloted aircraft in the Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Flight Plan published April 30.

  • AF hosts Magazine Day at Pentagon

    Roughly 15 representatives from a variety of magazines ranging from Popular Mechanics and Runner’s World to People and Buzzfeed attended the Air Force’s second annual Magazine Day event at the Pentagon May 13.

  • Flying with DRAGON improves capabilities

    A recent successful test flight of an upgraded Flight Management System Suite for the E-3 Sentry (AWACS) provides the warfighter with enhanced battle management capabilities.

  • Total force effort trains future KC-46 pilots

    A group of total force Airmen has been selected to participate in the initial operational test and evaluation of the KC-46 Pegasus as the Air Force prepares for the tanker’s arrival to McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas.

  • Around the Air Force: May 13

    This look around the Air Force takes us to a memorial for explosive ordnance disposal technicians at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida; discusses the B-21 naming contest; and commemorates four decades of the U-2 in South Korea.

  • Cadaver training prepares AF medics for real-world encounters

    The study of human anatomy has helped further medical science since the third century. Often reserved for medical students or researchers, cadaver training at the 59th Medical Wing is helping medical technicians today build confidence and hone critical life-saving skills.

  • GPS registers most accurate signal yet

    On April 25, the Air Force’s GPS registered its most accurate signal yet, according to the Aerospace Corporation, which has been monitoring the data since 2002.

  • AF Ranger instructors prep Airmen for rigorous course

    About 50 to 60 Airmen a year volunteer to attend the bi-annual Air Force Security Forces Center Pre-Ranger Course at Fort Bliss, Texas. Passing the course, which mirrors the first two weeks of Ranger School, is a requirement to attend the school.

  • AF defenders, SKorea soldiers train to fend off opposing forces

    Defending the men and women of Osan Air Base is one challenge to the 51st Security Forces Squadron, but defending an entire country is quite another. To bring a force multiplier to the table, the 51st SFS defenders trained with South Korean army special operations forces during a training scenario

  • A boxing savage

    Nine times out of 10, hitting someone in the face could land an assault charge. That isn't the case for Staff Sgt. Ryan Savage, a successful amateur boxer in his spare time.

  • Brothers share multiple deployments

    After spending their entire childhood together, some siblings go their separate ways as adults and keep in touch from a safe distance. For the De La Pena brothers, that’s not the case.

  • B-21 naming contest moves to next phase

    Submission entries for the B-21 bomber naming contest concluded May 5. Active, Guard, Reserve and civilian Airmen, along with their dependents, submitted more than 4,600 entries in response to the contest announced by Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James during the Air Force Association Air Warfare

  • New names enshrined at annual EOD memorial event

    Dressed in the bright whites, deep blues and dense blacks of their service uniforms, Airmen, Marines, Sailors, and Soldiers came together once again May 7 to honor their fallen explosive ordnance disposal brethren during an annual memorial ceremony at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida.

  • Hill F-35s form up for combat training

    F-35 Lightning II pilots from Hill Air Force Base began flying routine four-ship combat training missions at the Utah Test and Training Range in the west desert May 2.

  • WWII vets tour memorial, remember fallen brothers-in-arms

    Clouds lingered overhead, as young and old walked around the water fountain at the National World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. Couples took photos of one another while mothers and fathers tried to keep track of children attempting to run free. A leather-skinned gentleman, standing upright

  • Academy grad returns to the mat for chance at becoming a champion

    Coming from a small town in southern Pennsylvania, 1st Lt. Clayton Gable, a 2nd Space Warning Squadron supervisory statistician, grew up in a family that had a heritage in wrestling. He would excel in high school and at the Academy and now wrestles on the Air Force team.

  • 5 hours of work for 15 seconds of action

    A C-17 Globemaster III flies low, with its cargo door open. In 30 seconds it will drop 2 tons of food and water to a disaster-stricken country; the pallets will land safely, all due to the expertise of aerial delivery specialist riggers.

  • AF spouse receives spouse of the year accolades

    Michelle Aikman was named Military Spouse Magazine’s 2016 Air Force Military Spouse of the Year during a luncheon May 5 at Fort Myer. Surrounded by her family and previous Air Force military spouses of the year winners, Aikman was recognized for her lifetime of accomplishments.

  • Air University wargamers battle to keep America's lights on

    Cyber experts from across the military, government agencies and private industry joined forces at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, April 27, to mitigate future cyberattacks within the U.S. The Air Force Cyber College's two-day wargame brought the CIA, FBI, Goldman Sachs and others into

  • KC-10 serves 25 continuous years in CENTCOM

    For more than two decades, the KC-10 Extender has been refueling U.S. and coalition aircraft from an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia. This year marked 25 years of continuous operation for the aircraft from this location, and it is a vital piece in accomplishing U.S. Air Forces Central Command

  • May issue of Airman magazine now available

    The May issue of Airman magazine is now available to download and is viewable through a Web browser. In the cover story, titled “‘We Chose This,’” you’ll go behind the scenes of the challenging training course required to become a Phoenix Raven at the U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Center at Joint

  • Public service week honors civilian contributions to AF

    Public Service Recognition Week, which runs from May 1-7, provides an opportunity to recognize more than 2 million public employees who protect the nation through service in the armed forces. More than 176,000 of them are Air Force civilian full-time, part-time, term, temporary and non-appropriated

  • Goldfein nominated as 21st CSAF

    Defense Secretary Ash Carter announced April 26 that the president has nominated Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. David L. Goldfein to be the 21st chief of staff of the Air Force, succeeding Gen. Mark A. Welsh III, who has served in the position since 2012.

  • New electronic health record system receives name

    Military Health System (MHS) officials say the new electronic health record (EHR) will be called MHS GENESIS and is set to be launched at the end of 2016. To keep pace with medical advances and innovations in technology, the Defense Department has purchased a state-of-the-art EHR that will continue

  • Air Force clubs to award $23,000 in scholarships

    May 20 is the deadline to apply for the 2016 Air Force Club Scholarship Program. During the past 17 years, the program has provided college tuition assistance to more than 440 Air Force Club members and their eligible family members.

  • Honor guard Airman pushes past her limits

    It’s noon on a Saturday, and Staff Sgt. April Spilde chalks up her hands in the gym at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, Virginia, as she waits for her chance to lift during a powerlifting competition. Spilde isn’t thinking about how big the other competitors are or how much weight they can lift;

  • Airmen back up AF units with emergency materiel reserves

    Since the 49th Materiel Maintenance Support Squadron's Operating Location Alpha moved from MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, to Holloman AFB, New Mexico, in 2015, traffic management Airmen have been loading excess materiel for bases in need.

  • AF family shares experience with child’s autism

    Four-year-old Dawson Stock loves music and instruments; his mother says he is obsessed with the violin. He knows the alphabet forward and backward and is ready to read. Dawson is teaching himself the sign-language alphabet. He knows his numbers and how to add. Dawson is a high-functioning child.

  • Beale selected for Resilient Energy Demonstration Initiative

    The Air Force has selected Beale Air Force Base, California, as the lead site for its Resilient Energy Demonstration Initiative (REDI) to develop and deploy innovative energy resilience technologies and business models, and then apply the results to other missions and installations across the Air

  • New urgent care pilot program for Prime beneficiaries

    To increase access to care, the Defense Department is launching an Urgent Care Pilot Program for TRICARE Prime beneficiaries. This program allows Prime enrollees two visits to a network or TRICARE-authorized provider without a referral or prior authorization.

  • F-35 program accelerating, at 'pivot point,' program chief tells Congress

    The program executive officer of the F-35 Lightning II aircraft program said the rapidly changing, growing and accelerating program is at a "pivot point" as officials address a number of challenges. The F-35 program, also known as the Joint Strike Fighter program, is of vital importance to U.S.

  • Separated from family, students chalk up their emotions

    Azmeralda Poole pushes the chalk down on the ground and draws two dots inside a circle, cracking a grin as she sketches a smiling face. She points to her creation as she looks up at Nicole Flores, her Vogelweh Elementary School counselor.

  • Leading the next generation of AF medics

    It’s a little after 7:30 a.m. and the stampede has finally cleared the hallways. There’s a moment of silence, the first since arriving to work three hours prior. The five-story building is nearly desolate now, but a multitude of paperwork and tasks remain to be done before the 800-plus military

  • US, Central American firefighters train together in Honduras

    Joint Task Force-Bravo hosted firefighters from Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama for the Central America Sharing Mutual Operational Knowledge and Experience exercise April 18-22 at Soto Cano Air Base, Honduras.

  • Eglin Airman selected by Welsh for unique commissioning program

    An Airman’s cell phone rings, but he doesn’t answer because for him personal calls can wait until after work. It rings again; he lets it go to voicemail. On the third call he finally answers and is shocked to discover Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III on the line. During the call,

  • Lakenheath strengthens royal ties during Joint Warrior

    Airmen from Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England, recently completed three weeks of intense threat-reaction training missions during Joint Warrior 2016 in Scotland. Joint Warrior is a NATO exercise, which prepares rescue coalition force units for potential real-world scenarios that could be

  • Eglin pathology lab probes for answers

    On any given day, the pathology and histology lab professionals at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, handle about 125 patient specimens from livers, prostates to tonsils. They evaluate, prepare and transform tissue onto microscope slides studied by pathologists. These doctors study tissues to make a

  • Airman swims into university’s hall of fame

    For one 96th Test Wing Airman, the wild blue yonder isn't overhead but below and in front of his gaze as he stands on the starting block waiting for his signal. Upon the alert, he blasts off and pierces his calm blue horizon to begin a competitive swim. Senior Airman Francisco Perez Castillo, a 96th

  • McGuire hosts rapid response training with FEMA

    The 305th Aerial Port Squadron welcomed members of the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Pennsylvania Task Force 1 to Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, for rapid air mobilization training April 21, as part of an ongoing partnership initiative.

  • Around the Air Force: April 22

    This look around the Air Force features a special centennial celebration in Paris and Airmen at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, break a world record.

  • Establishing a bond: AFCENT Band returns to Afghanistan

    The U.S. Air Forces Central Command Band, Galaxy, returned to Afghanistan for the first time in more than a year April 16 with three performances in front of audiences of Afghan, coalition and American troops at Hamid Karzai International Airport.

  • Airman seeks to rejoin pararescue team despite loss of leg

    In July 2011, Staff Sgt. August O’Neill, a pararescueman, was sent to rescue a group of Marines pinned down in Afghanistan when enemy insurgents opened fire on his team’s helicopter. A round bounced off the helicopter’s door, tearing through both of O’Neill’s lower legs and critically wounding his

  • New AF development planning effort key to third offset

    To help the Air Force define and develop future capabilities, Air Force Materiel Command is standing up a multi-disciplinary Air Force team at the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • PACAF Airmen stand up air contingent in Philippines

    Airmen assigned to the Pacific Air Forces stood up the first rotation of an air contingent at Clark Air Base, Philippines, April 16, following a joint announcement by Secretary of Defense Ash Carter and Philippine Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin in Manila that highlighted several initiatives aimed

  • 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

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • AMC relocates KC-135 simulator

    Air Mobility Command will relocate a KC-135 Stratotanker pilot simulator from McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas, to Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base, Ohio, in an effort to maximize simulator utilization across the mobility enterprise.

  • Nearly 650 family members reach US from Turkey within 74 hours

    Minutes after an ordered departure of Defense Department family members and civilians assigned to locations in Turkey, mobility Airmen sprang into action around the world, preparing to execute missions that would ensure a safe and speedy airlift for them and their pets.The combined mission effort

  • Powerlifting duo competes, wins big

    Co-workers occasionally find common interests between them. For two Airmen at Scott Air Force Base that turned into powerlifting competitions.

  • 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.

  • Hyten announces Space Enterprise Vision

    Gen. John Hyten, the commander of Air Force Space Command, announced the command's Space Enterprise Vision April 12 at Peterson Air Force Base. The SEV is the result of an AFSPC-commissioned study that looked at how to make the nation's national security space enterprise more resilient.

  • 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.