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  • SecAF: Future force in ready, capable hands

    Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James said Feb. 14 that visits to the Air Force Academy and to Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, have given her faith in the Air Force's future.

  • AF and Israeli Defense Force surgeons general sign agreement

    The surgeon general of the Air Force and his counterpart in the Israeli Defense Force signed an agreement Feb. 5 in Israel to reaffirm their mutual commitment to collaboration between the Air Force Medical Service and the IDF Medical Corps.

  • US pilots share skies with former Portuguese classmates

    Two Air Force captains sat in the 301st Fighter Squadron, one of two Portuguese F-16 Fighting Falcon squadrons at Monte Real Air Base, Portugal, while reminiscing about their days at Undergraduate Pilot Training in Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas.

  • AF officer honored with space operations award

    Lt. Col. Samuel A. Little, director of operations, 45th Launch Support Squadron was recently named by the National Space Club as recipient of the prestigious General Bernard Schriever Award, honoring excellence in military space operations and acquisition.

  • Airmen, Soldiers sharpen search and rescue skills together

    Joint-service combat search and rescue training missions were held for the first-time Jan. 28 to Feb. 11 at Cellina Meduna training grounds near Maniago, Italy. The 31st Fighter Wing teamed up with the U.S. Army 12th Combat Aviation Brigade for joint training. There were several aspects to the

  • ANG immunization expert says flu shot still vital

    It's deep into flu season, and public health officials continue to work to spread the word about the importance of getting the flu shot, especially in light of a recent increase in a particularly severe flu strain affecting young adults.

  • AF announces ‘pro-gear’ policy change

    Air Force officials recently announced changes to the Department of Defense’s policy on transporting member’s professional books, papers and equipment, or PBP&E, shipped in household goods during permanent change of station moves. Known as “pro-gear,” the new PBP&E policy impacts orders issued on or

  • Airmen train Marines on aircraft refueling

    Marines from the 9th Engineer Support Battalion at Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, are participating in a six-month field exchange program here with Airmen from the 18th Logistics Readiness Squadron.

  • From Cuba to America and beyond through music

    Esteban-Nunez emigrated to the U.S. from the Republic of Cuba with his mother when he was 15. His life has taken him on a journey from that island nation to America, and most recently to Europe as a member of the U.S. Air Forces in Europe Band. Throughout this transition, a constant has remained --

  • Training at Tuskegee: Turning dreams into reality

    Training young men to be the first African American pilots in the military was a history-making event for the handful of trainers and leaders at the Tuskegee Institute. Creating an airfield from the ground up, the "Tuskegee experiment" led the way for desegregation of the military less than a decade

  • Top ANG enlisted chief embraces 'one Air Force' concept

    Emphasizing the importance of embracing a “one Air Force” concept, Chief Master Sgt. James Hotaling, command chief master sergeant of the Air National Guard, addressed newly minted Air Force chief master sergeants attending the Air Force District of Washington Chief’s Orientation and Recognition

  • SSgt promotion test rescheduled for April 1-May 16

    To ensure senior airmen selected for promotion to staff sergeant do not meet the enlisted retention board, the Air Force will move the testing window up from May 1-June 15 to April 1-May 16, Air Force Personnel Center officials said today.

  • New AC-130J completes first test flight

    After more than a year of modification maintenance, the newly created AC-130J Ghostrider took to the sky for the first time as a gunship here Jan. 31.

  • Knowledge is power: Cadet, Academy works to end human trafficking

    In 2005, the Defense Department implemented a national initiative against human trafficking, requiring annual Combating Trafficking in Persons awareness training for all military members on how to combat labor trafficking, sex trafficking and child soldiering.

  • Senior civilians selected for strategic leadership program

    A dozen senior civilian leaders have been selected for the Air Force Civilian Strategic Leader Program following intense screening and assessment by a nine-member Air Force CSLP selection board, Air Force Personnel Center officials announced.

  • Family care plans ease stress, boost readiness

    An up-to-date family care plan can help to ease stress and boost family resilience and readiness during a service member's absence. Family care plans are instructions developed by service members to identify caregivers who have agreed to take care of family members during the sponsor's absence.

  • One for one: JB Charleston goes international

    As the sun begins to rise over the Australian outback, the very same sun is setting for Royal Australian air force Sgt. Daniel Humphreys, currently assigned to the 17th Airlift Squadron as an exchange loadmaster. Humphreys will be calling Charleston, S.C., his home for the next few years. In

  • CSAF thanks Edwards AFB Airmen, talks keys to AF success

    Almost a thousand Airmen, government civilians and contractors filled the base theater to hear Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III talk to Edwards Air Force Bases Airmen about current issues and future challenges involving the service.

  • Air Force promotes literacy among school age children

    Reading a book is a reward in and of itself, but that does not always persuade children to read. To help promote literacy, the Air Force Personnel Center is sponsoring an incentive reading program until March 7.

  • AF to replace aviator locator beacons

    The Air Force will replace thousands of unreliable aircraft personnel locator beacons across the fleet, a service official said Jan. 16, here.

  • Nigerian, U.S. air forces partner for disaster relief seminar

    "If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together."This African proverb was referenced several times during a disaster relief seminar hosted by the Nigerian air force at the National Defense College here, Jan. 27-30. More than 40 senior service members from various career fields

  • Deployed civilians exemplify total force, support Airmen

    Two civilian contracting specialists with the 380th Expeditionary Contracting Squadron volunteered to deploy and gave two active-duty service members the opportunity to remain home with their families during the holidays.

  • Offutt AFB Airman heading to Hollywood

    A vocalist in the Air Force Heartland of America Band received three yeses from the judges when she tried out for American Idol Oct. 14 at the CenturyLink Center in Omaha, earning her a ticket to Hollywood Week.

  • Welsh thanks Eglin AFB Airmen, families

    Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III visited Team Eglin Jan. 26-28 to thank Airmen and their families here for their service and sacrifice, and to discuss current challenges and opportunities facing the service.

  • Reserve offers opportunities to continue AF career

    Airmen who don't want to hang up their uniforms for good during the current period of force management, may find rewarding career opportunities in the Air Force Reserve, recruiting officials said recently.

  • AF convenes officer RIF board, offers voluntary separation pay

    The Air Force will convene an officer reduction in force board June 16 to evaluate eligible officers for retention, Air Force Personnel Center officials said Jan. 27. Officers who meet the RIF board and are not selected for retention must separate by Jan. 31, 2015.RIF is among several fiscal 2014

  • AF awards $15.5 million in scientific research grants

    The Air Force Office of Scientific Research announced Jan. 24 that it will award approximately $15.5 million in grants to 42 scientists and engineers from 32 research institutions who submitted winning research proposals through the Air Force's Young Investigator Research Program, or YIP.

  • Force shaping board to convene in July

    The Air Force will convene a fiscal 2014 Force Shaping Board here July 14 to consider eligible officers within competitive categories for continued retention, Air Force Personnel Center officials said Jan. 27.

  • MyICP gives military spouses new career planning tool

    Military spouses who need guidance on education and careers have a new online tool at their fingertips, a program analyst for the Spouse Education and Career Opportunities program, known as SECO, said in an interview last week.

  • Cadets sweep national soaring competition

    Academy cadets left their competition in the dust by winning their ninth consecutive National Sailplane Racing Championship for 2013 and earning the Collegiate Soaring Association's Robert B. Evans Trophy for the 15th time in 19 years.

  • Air Force's top leaders visit Global Strike bases

    Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III and Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James A. Cody recently completed visits to Air Force Global Strike Command bases.

  • CJCS' top enlisted advisor speaks to DOD initiatives

    On the cusp of one of Minot Air Force Base's most demanding inspections this year, Airmen here welcomed the Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. Bryan Battaglia.

  • DOD releases new religious accommodation instruction

    The Defense Department released a new instruction Jan. 22 that details its updated policy on making religious accommodations requested by service members, Pentagon spokesman Navy Lt. Cmdr. Nathan J. Christensen said.

  • 44 selected for test pilot school

    Forty-four Air Force captains and first lieutenants have been selected as primary or alternate test pilot school program attendees, Air Force Personnel Center officials said Jan. 21.

  • AF acquisition chief nominee testifies

    Dr. Bill LaPlante testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee Jan. 16 during his nomination hearing to be the next Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition.

  • Official urges support for Afghan counternarcotics efforts

    A senior Defense Department official has warned about the growing threat of narcotics originating in Afghanistan and has urged continued support for efforts to eradicate production. Erin Logan, the Defense Department’s principal director for counternarcotics and global threats told the Senate Caucus

  • Recruiting on track, but officials worry about future

    Military recruiting is going well today, but economic and demographic changes will make the environment more difficult in the future, said Vee Penrod, the deputy assistant secretary of defense for military personnel policy.

  • DOD raises awareness of human trafficking

    Defense Department officials have a zero-tolerance level for human trafficking and have stepped up awareness and education efforts to curb the crime overseas.

  • AF family heads to national fitness finals

    McConnell's first family to compete in the national Triple Play Fit Family Challenge has progressed to the third and final tier of the national competition. The Blairs are among the top five out of two hundred families who will travel to Los Angeles, Calif., to compete for the title.

  • DOD focuses on healthy, active lifestyle for kids

    With the national rate of childhood obesity increasing, the Defense Department wants to ensure children in military families lead healthy and active lifestyles, the Defense Department's director of the office of family policy and children and youth said.

  • AF JAG Corps gains insight at SAPR Summit

    The Air Force Judge Advocate General Corps held its first Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Summit Dec. 17-18 at the Air Force Senior Noncommissioned Officer Academy here.The purpose of the summit was to bring total force legal professionals together to improve the way they handle all aspects

  • Sexual assault reports drop at service academies

    Reports of sexual assault decreased in two of the three military academies in academic year 2012-13, officials of the Defense Department's Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office said today.

  • Force protection team helps keep trainees safe

    A program office here is using its expertise to help ensure the safety of Air Force trainees. Following occurrences of sexual misconduct during basic military training at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, a commander's directed-investigation looked at various programs and procedures to see how

  • Hagel visits troops, defense nuclear facilities in New Mexico

    Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said he was impressed with what he saw here Jan. 8 at an Air Force base on the northern edge of the Chihuahuan Desert, where two facilities represent a large and historic part of the nation’s nuclear weapons expertise.

  • Online library provides Airmen education, entertainment

    Need assistance working on a class project, learning a new language or fixing an engine? Look no further than the online Air Force library, where Air Force library staff work to meet customers' needs. The online Air Force library offers resources such as electronic books, audio books, digital

  • B-52 upgrade to increase smart-weapons capacity

    Tinker AFB Airmen will update ground maintenance and mission planning software in support of a new Air Force contract that will increase the B-52 Stratofortress's "smart-weapons" capacity by 50 percent.

  • AF seeks enlisted commissioning applicants

    Eligible active-duty enlisted Airmen interested in pursuing a nursing commission have until Feb. 28 to submit their intent to apply, Air Force Personnel Center officials said Jan. 7.

  • TAP curriculum available online for separating service members

    Separating service members can participate in the transition assistance program, or TAP, online, Department of Defense officials announced. TAP, now called Transition GPS-Goals, Plans and Success, is designed to help prepare separating and retiring members for life outside of the military. It

  • AFNet PII breaches still a concern

    More than one month after Air Force Space Command's implementation of lock-out procedures for individuals found to have inappropriately transmitted Personally Identifiable Information, PII breaches still remain a significant issue.

  • AF announces 2013 Design Award winners

    The winners of the 2013 Air Force Design Awards were announced recently by Maj. Gen. Theresa Carter, the Air Force Civil Engineer chief of staff for logistics, installations and mission support.

  • Pearl Harbor-Hickam set to host first Wounded Warrior Pacific Invitational

    Thirty Air Force wounded warriors will face off against 90 other athletes during the first Wounded Warrior Pacific Invitational hosted by Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam Jan. 8-10.The week-long event will be the largest joint-service competition to take place outside of the annual Warrior Games.

  • Military blood program director urges generosity

    The director of the Armed Services Blood Program wants all service members to be part of a new arms race. Col. Richard H. McBride wants service members to roll up their sleeves and donate blood to help fellow service members and their families.

  • AF to convene enhanced selective early retirement board in June

    The Air Force will convene an enhanced selective early retirement board here June 16 to consider eligible officers for early retirement, Air Force Personnel Center officials said today.ESERB, a new authority granted in the fiscal 2013 National Defense Authorization Act, applies to regular,

  • AF officer, former Academy athlete killed in Afghanistan

    Former Air Force thrower Capt David (Lissy) Lyon was killed on Dec. 27, while conducting combat operations near Kabul, Afghanistan. Lyon, a 2008 Academy graduate, was a three-year letter winner for the Falcons' track and field team and a Mountain West champion in the shot put.

  • Airman finds motocross racing ultimate 'stress reliever'

    His heart is racing and his entire nervous system is pulsing with adrenalin. He revs the engine of his dirt bike easing the tension before the race begins. But this rider isn't a professional on the American Motorcyclist Association circuit, but a McConnell AFB officer who uses the sport as the

  • Enlisted retention board to convene in June

    An enlisted retention board will convene here in June to consider eligible senior airmen through senior master sergeants for retention, Air Force Personnel Center officials said.