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  • Air Force will provide assured access to space

    Gen. William L. Shelton, Air Force Space Command commander, stressed the importance of maintaining assured access to space to the Senate Subcommittee on Strategic Forces and Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation during a hearing on the options for assuring domestic access to space, July

  • F-15E takes first flight with new radar system

    The first 389th Fighter Squadron F-15E Strike Eagle received a Radar Modernization Program upgrade at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho in June. The new radar system is designed to retain functionality of the old legacy radar system while providing expanded mission employment capabilities.

  • ANG Airman selected to serve on VA advisory group

    Chief Master Sgt. Christopher C. Guy, the personnel career field functional manager, will serve on a three member team that will provide recommended solutions on enhanced data sharing and the efficient transfer of the separating or retiring members' service treatment records from the Defense

  • Weapons Airman keeps F-22s in the fight

    Airman 1st Class Kyron Abraham worked the day shift during those winter months. He drove to work through the cold night of day to the 3rd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, and joined his three-man team in relieving the night shift. Then the order came to load

  • Branched out: From Marine, Soldier, Sailor to Airman

    Staff Sgt. Jesus Yanez, currently deployed to Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, from the Texas Air National Guard's 204th Security Forces Squadron in El Paso, Texas, has answered his nation's call not just once but four times: first as a Marine, then a Sailor, Soldier and currently as an Airman.

  • Scott AFB's utilities privatization garners national attention

    The culmination of five years of water system improvements at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, has attracted the attention of the Partnership for Safe Water, an initiative developed by the Environmental Protection Agency and other water organizations to increase water quality.

  • LEAP application window opens

    The Language Enabled Airman Program is accepting active-duty officer and enlisted applications July 15 - Aug. 22. Those intending to submit applications must register their intent to apply by Aug. 8. Officer candidate students in their senior years may also apply

  • Around the world in 27 days

    The first continuous mission around the world for the MC-130J Commando II, the Air Force Special Operations Command's newest platform, ended successfully July 9 with the aircraft's safe return to Cannon Air Force Base, N.M.

  • AF moves forward with future bomber

    The U.S. Air Force released its Long Range Strike Bomber, or LRS-B, request for proposal to industry July 9 with a contract award expected in spring 2015.

  • Transcending Tragedy

    At a stage in life that many would consider to be over the hill, Ronald Ball hardly fit the profile of an Air Force recruit. Starting over, a middle-aged man, no one would have blamed him for giving up.

  • Hill AFB plays key role in delivering F-16s to Indonesia

    The combined efforts of Hill Air Force Base's Ogden Air Logistics Complex, F-16 System Program Office, Defense Logistics Agency and several other Defense Department organizations will culminate in the initial delivery of three of 24 F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft to the government of Indonesia July

  • 12 Outstanding Airmen of the Year announced

    Air Force officials selected the service's top enlisted members, naming the 12 Outstanding Airmen of the Year for 2014, Air Force Personnel Center officials announced July 10.

  • From cop to chaplain, one role helps with the other

    While every job plays an important role in the Air Force, two are known well by every Airman: security forces and chaplains. Airmen recognize security forces members as the guardians of the gates for military installations. On the other hand, many Airmen know chaplains to be confidential sources

  • AF introduces Total Force Commissioning Process

    Air Force officials announced the Total Force Commissioning Process July 10. This new process allows the Air Force to provide multiple career avenues for officers being commissioned through Air Force ROTC by offering cadets the chance to pursue opportunities in the Air Force Reserve or Air National

  • USAFE-AFAFRICA releases investigation results on HH-60 accident

    U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces Africa officials released the results of the investigation into the January 7 crash of an HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopter near Cley next the Sea, United Kingdom, resulting in the death of the four crew members on board.

  • Loading F-16s with lethal firepower

    As a munitions controller with the 35th Maintenance Squadron, he receives dozens of calls every day, while waiting for one that's arguably more important than the rest. It's the call that delivers the 35th Fighter Wing's flying schedule and triggers a process that turns Misawa Air Base's F-16

  • Father, daughter share deployment to Bagram

    The military becomes a tight knit family for people who are away from home. Service members share many unique experiences and when the time comes to deploy, they need "family" support that much more. For Tech. Sgt. John Trujillo and Senior Airman Kimberly Buzzell, the support network is not only

  • July 7 – Pulse on AF force management

    Featured in this force management update are details regarding civilian force management program expansions and ongoing officer early retirement and enlisted retention boards.

  • First AF security forces readiness center opens

    As a young captain, Air Force Brig. Gen. Allen Jamerson once wondered why the Air Force did not have one place where security forces could go for training and evaluation."All security forces would come through (Fort Polk, Louisiana), and they had all been trained at different regional training

  • SecAF visits missile wings, highlights progress

    Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James visited Air Force Global Strike Command's three missile wings June 30 - July 1 to meet with Airmen and discuss changes made in the force over the past six months.

  • Fifth CMSAF visits Airmen, talks change, taking ownership

    The fifth Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force, Robert D. Gaylor, visited and spoke with Airmen June 26 at the base theater here.The former senior enlisted member of the Air Force shared his personal journey and views on leadership with more than 200 Airmen in attendance.

  • Offutt AFB supports tornado victims

    More than 40 individuals from Offutt Air Force Base recently assisted with clean-up and recovery efforts following a simultaneous strike of two tornadoes on June 16, in northeastern communities of Pilger and Wakefield, Nebraska.

  • Missile-warning satellites contract awarded

    The Air Force Space Command's Space and Missile Systems Center awarded a $1.86 billion contract to Lockheed Martin Space Systems in Sunnyvale, California, for production of the fifth and sixth Space-Based Infrared System, or SBIRS, geosynchronous, or GEO, missile-warning satellites.

  • Korean War vet swaps stories with Luke AFB pilots

    He served as a test pilot for the Navy during an era when joint helmet-mounted cueing systems, which project a display into the pilot's visor, weren't available in aircraft and communication between pilots and those on the ground was difficult.

  • CMSAF stresses total-force unity

    There is no distinction among Airmen within the Air Force components when it comes to how they perform their jobs, how they live up to standards and how they embrace the service's core values, said Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James A. Cody during a visit here June 24-25.

  • Aerial surveillance key to NATO efforts

    The E-3A Component based here is an integrated, multinational, rapidly deployable asset to NATO providing airborne surveillance, command, control, and communication capabilities

  • Philippine and U.S. Airmen renovate school in need

    Airmen from the 374th Civil Engineer Squadron spent 31 days building two classrooms and renovating utilities throughout the Buyong Elementary School in Barangay Maribago, Lapu-Lapu City, Philippines, as part of Operation Pacific Unity 14-6, a bilateral engineering program meant to strengthen ties

  • CSAF to sponsor three captains for PhD program

    The chief of staff of the Air Force will sponsor three eligible captains to pursue a doctorate degree through the fiscal year 2015 CSAF Captains Prestigious PhD Program, Air Force Personnel Center officials announced.

  • Shaw AFB firefighters awarded DOD level honor

    Tech. Sgt. Joseph Charleston, the 20th CES station captain, and Senior Airman Boyd Korb, a 20th CES firefighter, were directly responsible for the lifesaving rescue of a downed civilian firefighter in Sumter, S.C.The Airmen received awards at the Air Combat Command and Air Force levels before going

  • Airman excels on two wheels, continues to pedal forward

    It was summer 2007 in Wausau, Wisconsin. David Flaten had completed his first mountain bike race through the nine-mile forest course with no prior racing experience and a simple knowledge of cycling. After regaining the feeling in his legs, the now Senior Airman said he had fallen in love.

  • Inter-American SOS candidate applications due in July

    Active-duty captains proficient in the Spanish language may be eligible to attend the Inter-American Squadron Officer School at the Inter-American Air Forces Academy, Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Air Force Personnel Center officials said.

  • U.S. conducts successful missile intercept test in Pacific

    The U.S. military today successfully intercepted an intermediate-range ballistic missile test target launched from the U.S. Army’s Reagan Test Site on Kwajalein Atoll in the Republic of the Marshall Islands, according to a Defense Department news release issued today.

  • Airmen repair runway in Afghanistan

    Airmen from the 455th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron and the 577th Expeditionary Prime Base Engineer Squadron completed flightline repairs to the main runway here June 9.

  • June 19 – Pulse on AF force management

    Air Force leaders recently decided to bolster manning for nuclear-related career fields, an intention to make adjustments to account for budgetary uncertainties tied to proposed force structure changes. Those actions, coupled with previously approved voluntary applications and recent increases in

  • CMSAF attends international symposium

    Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James A. Cody attended an international senior enlisted leader symposium June 9-13 in Istanbul, Turkey. The Turkish air force hosted the event which brought together the top senior enlisted Airmen from air forces around the world to exchange ideas and enhance

  • Air Force ready if called upon for Iraq

    The Air Force is fully engaged in planning efforts to provide options for the situation in Iraq and is ready to provide its capabilities if necessary, Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James said here June 17.

  • Afghan air force learns self-sustaining casualty evacuation care

    The flightline is filled with aircrew and C-130 Hercules engines are starting up for another Afghan air force casualty evacuation mission.Within two years, the Afghan air force has made significant improvements to their casualty evacuation capabilities...

  • BMT quarters temporarily housing immigrant minors

    A former BMT facility was turned into a temporary shelter May 18 by the Department of Health and Human Services' Administration for Children and Families. The shelter is for unaccompanied Central American minors who have been caught illegally crossing into the U.S.

  • Malmstrom completes final Minuteman III configuration

    Air Force Global Strike Command met a major milestone June 16, when maintainers at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana, removed the last multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle in the Air Force intercontinental ballistic missile inventory from a Minuteman III.

  • Airmen rescue injured mountain climber

    Two Airmen from the 22nd Special Tactics Squadron out of Joint Base Lewis-McChord risked their lives to rescue an injured climber from Mount Rainier May 28.

  • Enlisted pilots honored during ceremony

    The military's sergeant pilots, enlisted aviators who served from 1912-1957, were honored during a monument unveiling and dedication at Maxwell-Gunter's Enlisted Heritage Hall June 9.Nearly 14 years in the making, the monument depicts Corporal Vernon L. Burge, the Army Signal Corps' first enlisted

  • DOD, AF leaders look to F-35 maintainers for help

    The Pentagon will continue to seek aircraft maintainer suggestions and industry partner investments to reduce operating and sustainment costs by 10 to 20 percent as F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter improvements develop, the undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics

  • Airmen can change how the Air Force does business

    Creative, motivated Airmen are the key to changing how the Air Force does business, and every Airman has an equal opportunity to make a lasting contribution through the Airmen Powered by Innovation program, Air Force Personnel Center officials said.

  • AFCEC, AFCYBER partnership boosts infrastructure security

    The commander from Air Forces Cyber and the director the Air Force Civil Engineer Center signed an initiative here June 12, designed to strengthen the security of industrial control systems, or ICS, supporting critical Air Force infrastructures.

  • Cheating in ALS: Zero tolerance for compromise of core values

    The best way to succeed in Airman Leadership School, and not resort to cheating, is to be open and honest with leadership before enrolling, understand the gravity of the demanding coursework, and be prepared for it, said Senior Master Sgt. Leyla Gillett, Langley Air Force Base ALS commandant.

  • AF test pilot school applications due in June

    The 2014 U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School, or TSP, selection board will convene here Aug. 5-8 to consider candidates for July 2015 and January 2016 classes, Air Force Personnel Center officials said.

  • CMSAF Roll Call: Why We Serve?

    The Air Force senior enlisted Airman released the latest installment of Roll Call, encouraging Airmen to think about, “why they serve.”

  • 1st Space Ops assumes space surveillance mission

    The 1st Space Operations Squadron at Schriever AFB, Colorado, will assume command and control of the Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness Program (GSSAP) this summer. The satellites are a space-based capability that will operate in the near-geosynchronous orbit regime supporting U.S. Strategic

  • Friendship knows no borders

    Four-year-old Sarah reached out to grasp her friend Fatou's hand as she has every day since Fatou first arrived at the Maxwell Air Force Base child development center in August 2013. On this day, Sarah led Fatou to the dance floor, placing her in a specific position like a delicate wall fixture.

  • AF to implement new feedback process July 1

    In a recent message to Airmen, Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III and Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James Cody announced plans to begin implementing a more comprehensive Air Force evaluation system for officers and enlisted members. The first step in the process will be the July 1

  • AF releases new feedback forms

    During the past year, Air Force leaders have been shaping a new and more comprehensive Air Force evaluation system for officers and enlisted Airmen.The new system is designed to better meet the needs of the Air Force and Airmen, differentiate more effectively between good and great performers, and

  • Airman's grandfather part of post-Normandy air campaign

    D-Day. The mere mention of the epic invasion can evoke a barrage of images in people's minds spanning the spectrum between horror and glory. For Master Sgt. Matthew Carey, 28th Bomb Wing Treaty Compliance Office superintendent, it conjures thoughts of a man he barely knew and whose grandest

  • Space fence contract awarded

    The Air Force awarded a $914,699,474 contract to Lockheed Martin on June 2, 2014 to develop a system that will track objects in Earth's orbit with far greater confidence and fidelity.

  • Battlefield Airborne Communications Node ensures warfighter connectivity

    Three recent achievements demonstrate how a critical communications capability managed here is continuing to keep warfighters connected. The Battlefield Airborne Communications Node, or BACN, translates and distributes imagery, video, voice and data, often from disparate elements, improving

  • AF pilot helps in airline emergency

    An in-flight medical emergency caused Capt. Mark Gongol, a B-1B Lancer pilot, to jump into action and help safely land a commercial 737 on Dec. 30, 2013.

  • A beacon in the storm

    Tech. Sgt. David Gray could only watch as she leaned forward and softly kissed him goodbye. There was simply nothing more that could have been done. Feeling helpless, standing bedside with his mother, every imposing inch of his muscular frame had just been rocked. The aftershocks had yet to be felt,

  • Air Force mental health programs encourage seeking help

    The number of Airmen seeking mental health care has increased over the last five years-- and this is a trend Air Force leaders encourage, according to a lead psychiatrist with the office of the Air Force Surgeon General.

  • Wrenches to wings: munitions maintainer becomes F-15C pilot

    Second Lt. Kyle Wheeler once prepared weapons for the F-15C Eagle as an munitions maintenance operator. After earning his commission, Wheeler is in the initial stages to climb into the cockpit and drop the weapons he once delivered.

  • Combat Hammer 2014: Boosting RPA strike proficiency

    Airmen from the 432nd Wing/432nd Air Expeditionary Wing and the air-to-ground weapons system evaluation program, or WSEP, team participated in the 2014 Combat Hammer exercise May 12-15, to operationally assess and evaluate the reliability, maintainability, suitability, and accuracy of remotely

  • May 23 – Pulse on AF force management

    This week’s force management update focuses on the chief master sergeant retention board, voluntary separation pay, officer reduction in force boards, quality force review board, civilian force management and total force opportunities in a continued effort to bring Airmen the latest, most accurate

  • DOD sends UAV, 80 Airmen to help Nigerian search

    The Defense Department's addition of an unmanned aerial vehicle and 80 Air Force troops to U.S. efforts supporting Nigeria's search for over 200 missing schoolgirls has turned the mission into an air operation. The UAV system and Air Force personnel were deployed not to Nigeria but to neighboring

  • USecAF touts Air Force capabilities at 30th Space Symposium

    At an annual gathering of civil, military and industry professionals from across the globe, Under Secretary of the Air Force Eric Fanning emphasized Air Force contributions through space and cyberspace. Fanning was the featured keynote speaker during the 30th Space Symposium dinner May 20 in

  • Technology offers more ‘face time’ with commanders

    New advances in digital technology now allow commanders to speak directly to Airmen, despite geographical separation. The Global Content Delivery Service, or GCDS, is a real-time video moderated forum, which enables Airmen to ask questions, receive information and engage in face-to-face

  • Diversity and force management go hand-in-hand

    Force management and diversity were the two main talking points for Lt. Gen. Sam Cox, the deputy chief of staff for manpower, personnel and services, during his presentation at the Air Force Association monthly breakfast May 15th.

  • CSAF provides ‘initial feedback’ to all commanders

    All supervisors are required to provide subordinates with an initial feedback, outlining expectations, standards and goals they can both work together to achieve. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III led the way by introducing the new Air Force Instruction 1-2 “Commander’s

  • Running the globe for Parkinson's

    It is estimated more than 5 million people live with Parkinson's disease worldwide and many do not have access to the medicine that makes the symptoms of the disorder manageable. Col. Marcus Cranston, 99th Medical Group director of medical education endocrinology and preventive medicine was

  • Take 'FIVE' to get free money for your TSP account

    The Thrift Savings Plan has launched the "Take FIVE for Your Future" educational campaign encouraging civilian employees to take advantage of free government TSP matching contributions by putting at least 5 percent from each paycheck into their account.