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  • New chief of Air Force Safety takes command

    Maj. Gen. Andrew M. Mueller assumed the duties of Air Force chief of safety, Headquarters Air Force, in Washington, D.C., July 24. In that capacity, he also serves as the commander of the Air Force Safety Center at Kirtland Air Force Base.

  • TACPs control skies over Guam for joint training

    To practice their skills, tactical air control party Airmen assigned to the 3rd Air Support Operations Squadron from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, recently made the long journey to Guam to train with a variety of units from Joint Region Marianas.

  • AF funds development of high-performance munitions technology

    The Air Force Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer program office recently provided nearly $400,000 of additional funding for a SBIR effort that will give the warfighter an affordable, high-performance millimeter wave seeker technology for high-performance munitions.

  • AF Global Strike Command establishes school for its best, brightest

    The Cold War ended in 1991, and with it, a comprehensive knowledge of the nation's deterrence capability. The link between strategic deterrence and technical competence faded away, with Airmen often gaining expertise in other areas, according to Air Force Global Strike Command staff. This shortage

  • Eye in the sky, RPA Airmen in the Red Flag fight

    The sun beats down on the dry Nevada desert, bringing a smell of fuel that fills the air. Engines begin roaring to life as the Airmen of the 432nd Wing prepare to support Red Flag 15-3 from July 13-31.

  • Air Force vice chief of staff discusses education, innovation

    Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Larry O. Spencer and Jack Buckley, the senior vice president of research for the College Board, spoke about innovation and education during the Military Child Education Coalition’s 17th National Training Seminar July 31.

  • Cognitive computers primed to change the Air Force acquisition landscape

    Cognitive thinking machines that can critically analyze and process information accurately and at a rate faster than human capability are the type of meta-advance technologies that Sci-Fi fanatics dream of, and the Air Force is seeking to leverage this innovative technology in the world of

  • Senior master sergeant evaluations to be on new EPR form

    Senior master sergeant enlisted performance reports, which closed out July 31, will be accomplished on the newly published Air Force Form 911, the EPR for master sergeant through senior master sergeant, which was made available July 31 on the e-Publishing website.

  • Spencer reflects on 44-year career

    In the early 1970s, America was at a crossroads. The Vietnam War raged on, seemingly with no end in sight, and many Americans felt forced to choose to either support the administration or protest the conflict, which left many families across the nation bitterly divided.

  • TRICARE Online and MiCare have similarities, differences

    TRICARE Online and MiCare Secure Messaging may seem to offer the same services, but there are important differences to these software tools, which are designed to enhance access to care for all military beneficiaries.

  • New interrogation system installed on AWACS, more in pipeline

    The E-3 Sentry AWACS Next Generation Identification Friend or Foe (NGIFF) program office from Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts, recently completed the first installation of the new AN/UPX-40 system, which also brings new enhancements onto an operational AWACS at Tinker AFB, Oklahoma.

  • Exercise tests, demonstrates new DOD capabilities

    As a C-17 Globemaster III flown by the Air National Guard slowly made its way down the Offutt Air Force Base flightline July 23, ambulances from the Omaha Fire and Rescue Department along with other local emergency response vehicles waited just outside an aircraft parking ramp.This was all part of

  • Through the glass: Vet looks back

    The heritage center at Travis Air Force Base has many pieces of military, history rich with old war stories. One piece, a bullet-riddled B-24 Liberator windshield, tells the story of a man from a small town who went on to fight in World War II and gave more than 40 years of service to his country.

  • Seventh WGS satellite launch successful after weather delay

    Twenty-five dedicated Space and Missile Systems Center personnel put off their mad dash to jam the streets of Los Angeles, and instead, gathered in the Gordon Conference Center at the Schriever Space Complex, California, on July 23. These active-duty and civilian employees observed the culmination

  • Final rule puts more teeth Into Military Lending Act

    The Defense Department today closed loopholes to protect U.S. men and women in uniform from predatory lending practices, President Barack Obama said July 21 at the 116th Veterans of Foreign Wars National Convention in Pittsburgh.

  • Guard couple juggles military life, share command

    On July 16 an Air National Guard officer took command of the Air Force Officer Training School's Detachment 12 from another guardsman. While that may not seem strange, what is unusual is that the former and new commanders have 23 years of history together.Lt. Col. Loralie Rasmussen assumed command

  • Quest for perfection: Airman strives for flawless execution

    It’s a sport in which a fraction of an inch could mean the difference between a first place finish or dropping 30 spots. Competitive rifle shooting requires patience, accuracy and control. Lt. Col. Mark Gould started the sport more than 23 years ago and he has been pulling the trigger ever since.

  • CHIEFchat: Cody addresses new EPR form, Course 15

    Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James A. Cody addressed several topics during his latest CHIEFchat, including the new enlisted performance report and Course 15, at the Defense Media Activity on Fort George G. Meade, Maryland.

  • Betty Welsh: 'We are family, we are different'

    Speaking to a group of key spouses from the 501st Combat Support Wing at Royal Air Force Croughton July 16, Betty Welsh smiled, and explained how she grew from a girl who lived with her family until she was 22, into an Air Force spouse and wife of Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III.

  • POW visits Pentagon tribute section, reminisces about hard times

    Retired Col. Leon Ellis was a prisoner of war for 1,955 days during the Vietnam War. During a July 16 visit to the Pentagon, he and his family stopped by the Air Force POW tribute section. Ellis said some painful memories flooded back about his time as a POW as he viewed the paintings.

  • Optimism helped Vietnam vet survive as POW

    When 2nd Lt. John "Spike" Nasmyth climbed into his F-4 Phantom II on Sept. 4, 1966, to fly a combat mission over Vietnam, he never foresaw that he'd be blown out of the sky by a surface-to-air missile.The last words he heard before his jet was transformed into a lump of crumpled, metal wreckage were

  • Seymour Johnson Airman shines at inter-nation championship

    Her journey was full of unknowns. She was thousands of miles from home and in a very unfamiliar land. As foreign as she felt, there was one 7-foot wide circle that made her feel right at home.For Airman 1st Class Jessica Johnson, a 4th Aerospace Medicine Squadron public health technician, it was the

  • Snipers hone skills during Royal Air Force training

    As his mind wandered to his hunger and lack of sleep, the sniper turned his thoughts back to the mission at hand. Staff Sgt. Joseph Crotty, the 822d Base Defense Squadron NCO in charge of standards and evaluations, would have to stay focused to get through this training.

  • Mental health: To go or not to go

    The clinic buildings themselves aren't scary, but add the words ‘mental health,’ and most people will avoid them like they contain tigers on the loose. That's why the 432nd Wing Human Performance Team was stood up -- to alleviate that stigma, provide help and have easily accessible trained mental

  • AF generals testify for their future positions

    Two Air Force generals testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee during their nomination hearing as the next U.S. Transportation Command commander and new vice chairman to the Joint Chiefs of Staff July 14.

  • Comprehensive Airman Fitness on the go

    The Wingman Toolkit, an outreach and communication tool designed to ensure Airmen have quick and easy access to the latest Comprehensive Airman Fitness programs and resources, now has a mobile app available to download.

  • GPS IIF-10 successfully launched from Cape Canaveral

    The Air Force and its mission partners successfully launched the tenth Boeing-built Global Positioning System IIF satellite aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V launch vehicle from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, at 11:36 a.m. EDT.

  • Airmen save millions by making repairs

    Deep inside one of the 20th Maintenance Group hangars is a windowless room, where Airmen peer into microscopes and solder electronics as they work to save the 20th Fighter Wing millions of dollars.

  • CMSAF, Airmen display resiliency on Mt. Fuji

    Airmen from Yokota Air Base, Japan, tested many of the Comprehensive Airman Fitness pillars as they climbed Japan's tallest mountain on July 11. To reach the summit of Mount Fuji, hikers had to climb over 5,000 feet, starting at the fifth station at an altitude of 7,562 feet, and ending at the

  • OPM acts to protect federal workers, others from cyber threats

    U.S. Office of Personnel Management officials announced July 9, the results of the interagency forensics investigation into a recent cyber incident involving federal background investigation data and the steps OPM is taking to protect those affected.

  • Drilling activity for Honduras water well underway

    The 823rd Expeditionary RED HORSE Squadron continued drilling activity for a water well July 7 in Honduras. The well is one of multiple projects taking place here as part of New Horizons, an annual humanitarian assistance exercise.

  • Dr. Chief inspires Airmen toward higher education

    For Chief Master Sgt. Marvin Parker, being a leader meant more than simply checking the minimum requirements. Since 2014, the 36th Mission Support Group superintendent has held a doctorate in business administration, summa cum laude, specializing in global operations of supply chain management --

  • Airman keeps San Antonio, Laughlin safe

    Last year in San Antonio, just a couple of hours down the road from Laughlin Air Force Base, more than 1,600 arrests were made. Of those arrests, more than 580 were gang related and more than 200 firearms were taken off the streets. The credit for pushing gangs off of "military city's" streets goes

  • Flag creates deep bond between grandfather and grandson

    The U.S. military has a rich history, beginning with the Continental Army and extending to present day operations around the world, but for Senior Airman Steven Adkins, his own military history can be found in his backpack.

  • US takes partnerships to new heights

    U.S. Air Force and Army counterparts joined together with service members from nine allied countries to participate in International Jump Week at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, July 6-10.

  • Jackson speaks on way ahead for Air Force Reserve

    The head of Air Force Reserve Command discussed the Reserve’s future role in F-35 Lightning II maintenance manning, along with other initiatives July 7. Lt. Gen. James F. Jackson spoke at the Air Force Association’s monthly breakfast at the Key Bridge Marriott in Arlington, Virginia.

  • Tech Report: The Global Hawk

    It seems the coolest new toys out there involve drones. Check out this week's Tech Report, which highlights one of the most prestigious of them all: the RQ-4 Global Hawk.

  • CMSAF visits Kadena

    Airmen were not short on questions during Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James A. Cody's visit to Kadena Air Base July 5-8.

  • Latest issue of Airman magazine now available

    In this issue of Airman magazine, you’ll meet Airmen who are assigned to Creech Air Force Base, Nevada, who have a vastly different deployment experience than most others in the Air Force, where they operate from Creech AFB and come home to their families at the end of their shift. They’re

  • Pave Hawk maintainers keep rescue birds flying

    Airmen assigned to the 41st Expeditionary Helicopter Maintenance Unit here constantly work maintaining HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopters so that the combat rescue mission in Afghanistan can be a success if and when it is needed.

  • Airman passes on knowledge to Civil Air Patrol cadets

    As a first lieutenant in the Civil Air Patrol on Kadena Air Base, Chance Sheek is an emergency services training officer, communications officer, and he oversees all of the cadet training. But during the weekday, he is a senior airman assigned to the 18th Logistics Readiness Squadron working as a

  • SecAF visits key operating locations in European theater

    Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James completed a multination visit throughout Europe June 13-24. The secretary met with Airmen, civilians, host nation community leaders, and allied and partner nation military leaders in countries including Germany, Belgium and Poland during her second visit

  • Western Hemisphere air chiefs work together at annual conference

    United-Allied -- this is the motto of the System of Cooperation Among the American Air Forces, an organization comprised of more than 20 air force leaders from across the Western Hemisphere, who met June 22-26 in Mexico City for a summit known as the Conference of American Air Chiefs.

  • 5,000 days of war

    It’s been 5,000 days of struggle, rugged landscapes, blood and sweat. It’s been 5,000 days of exhaustion, injuries, and long separations from family, friends and home. On June 27, the 17th Special Tactics Squadron marked 5,000 days of unremitting war.

  • Fuels Airmen, Marines support Northern Edge

    During exercise Northern Edge 2015, approximately 450,000 gallons of fuel per day kept nearly 60 aircraft at Eielson Air Force Base, fueled up and flying the skies over Alaska to accomplish critical joint training.

  • Upgraded AWACS platform tested at Northern Edge

    Calmly soaring at 30,000 feet in the midst of nearly 100 fighters, bombers and refueling tankers executing a battle scenario, an E-3G Sentry (AWACS) surveys every aircraft in a 300-mile radius, calling out commands, verifying target hits and sending aircraft back home safely.

  • Gen. Larry O. Spencer Innovation Award unveiled

    Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James, along with Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Larry O. Spencer, unveiled the "Innovation Award" named in honor of Spencer during a ceremony in the Airman’s Hall at the Pentagon June 29.

  • Fairchild engineers save AF nearly $8 million

    Balancing today's readiness with tomorrow's modernization isn't an easy task, but the 92nd Civil Engineer Squadron at Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington, figured out a way to do it and saved $8 million along the way.

  • Air Force intel pros use Web-based remotely piloted aircraft application

    Using existing technology, a team of Air Force intelligence experts have developed a new Web-based program that saves lives and money. These innovators will receive the U.S. Geospatial Intelligence Foundation Achievement Award for developing the Surveillance Intelligence Reconnaissance Information

  • Airman beats brain tumor, grateful for Warrior Games

    Retired Air Force Master Sgt. Craig Zaleski didn’t earn a medal in the 2015 Department of Defense Warrior Games here this week, but he said the adaptive sports competition was an emotional and rewarding experience.

  • Cody reaches out to USAFE-AFAFRICA Airmen

    Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force James A. Cody wrapped up his second visit to U.S. Air Forces in Europe-U.S. Air Forces Africa this year, tackling Airmen's questions surrounding changes to the new enlisted evaluation system, promotions, formal training and retirements.

  • CAC change aids visually color impaired security officers

    The Defense Department’s Common Access Card is undergoing modification to make it easier for visually color-impaired security officials to identify bearers who are military, government or contractor civilians, or foreign nationals, a Defense Human Resources Activity official said recently.

  • All colors fade to mud

    Marines and Airmen crawled and carried one another through the pouring rain, and as their tan and green uniforms got covered with mud, the service members looked like the joint fighting force that they are.

  • GPS: A generation of service to the world

    Nearly 40 years ago, the Air Force launched the first GPS satellite, dubbed Navstar. But even the most visionary of those people involved with the first launch probably couldn’t have guessed how much GPS would eventually impact the world.

  • Alaska's military continues Operation Colony Glacier support

    In November 1952, an Air Force C-124 Globemaster II with 52 passengers and crewmembers aboard crashed near Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska. Almost 60 years later, June 9, 2012, an Alaska National Guard UH-60 Black Hawk crew on a training mission noticed some debris on Colony Glacier. The National

  • AFSOUTH paves way to increase capabilities in Honduras

    A five-member assessment team from 12th Air Force (Air Forces Southern) at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, and the 571st Mobility Support Advisory Squadron at Travis AFB, California, traveled to Honduras June 15-19 to perform a three-day capabilities assessment at several Honduran air bases

  • AFRL bio-signature research may save firefighters' lives

    Imagine facing down a raging fire, up close, with little or no time to save lives and protect property; hauling 75-pound hoses up multiple flights of stairs; carrying victims out and repeatedly putting your life on the line. Then imagine doing it nearly every day. It’s an extreme job and the

  • Confinement: Behind the bars

    Working as a confinement supervisor has challenges most Airmen never experience. For the ones who do accomplish this mission, they are in the business of rehabilitating people and helping set them on the right track to succeed in life.

  • AF begins enlisted professional military education enrollment notifications

    Last week, the Air Force Personnel Center initiated a phased approach to notify approximately 83,000 Airmen of the requirement to enroll in the applicable enlisted professional military education distance learning course. AFPC will notify 20,000 Airmen at the beginning of each month until all

  • James shares priorities with USAFE-AFAFRICA

    Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James talked with U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces Africa Airmen and civilians during an all call at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, June 19.

  • Carter opens 2015 Warrior Games

    The 2015 Department of Defense Warrior Games opened June 19, with about 250 athletes from the U.S. and U.K. gathering at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia, to compete for a different victory: celebrating their new lives and their enduring abilities.

  • Airman improves intelligence career field through innovations

    Tech. Sgt. Kevin from Creech Air Force Base, Neveda, has been an innovator for the intelligence career field with for the past decade. One of his creations, called the Squadron Intelligence Reconnaissance Interface, codenamed SIRI, is an application used by remotely piloted aircraft crew members to

  • Service star authorized on GWOT Expeditionary Medal

    Active-duty, Guard and Reserve Airmen who earned the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal for more than one of the five Defense Department approved Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal operations may now wear a service star device on the medal and service ribbon for the second and

  • New acquisition process awards contracts in weeks

    A new government open architecture acquisition process that can award contracts in weeks instead of years was tested at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, June 8-11. The process, called PlugFest, is an interactive industry event where companies get to “plug-in” to a given open system architecture

  • Elmendorf fuels flight named best in AF

    The Air Force recently recognized the 673rd Logistics Readiness Squadron's Fuels Management Flight as the best in the Air Force after being named the winner of the 2014 American Petroleum Institute Award.

  • Cody visits Ramstein, addresses Airmen's concerns

    Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James A. Cody met with Airmen and addressed their concerns regarding the future of the Air Force during an all at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, here June 15.

  • Living the American Dream

    Senior Airman Vadim Poleanschi, a 386th Expeditionary Logistic Readiness Squadron logistics specialist, felt the burden, whether he understood it or not. Poleanschi was born after the Soviet Union fell apart in a country called the Republic of Moldova, an Eastern European country landlocked between

  • TSgt Timothy McDonough

    Timothy McDonoughTechnical Sergeant RetiredHometown: Queens, NYSport(s): Shooting and archeryInjury: Post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, right arm and cervical spine damage and seizures How has military health services helped you overcome your injury/disability?It gave me a new

  • MSgt Gerald Shoemaker

    Gerald ShoemakerMaster Sergeant RetiredHometown: Boise, IDSport(s): Shooting and archeryInjury: Post-traumatic stress disorderHow has military health services helped you overcome your injury/disability?The AFW2 has been instrumental in getting me back to my new normal. The adaptive sports program

  • SSgt Benjamin Seekell

    Benjamin SeekellStaff Sergeant Active DutyHometown: Charlestown, RISport(s): Cycling, shooting, track and field, and basketballInjury: Below-knee left leg amputationHow has military health services helped you overcome your injury/disability?It has given me a new set of goals and provided me with a

  • SSgt Seth Pena

    Seth PenaStaff Sergeant Active DutyHometown: N/ASport(s): Shooting and archeryInjury: Left leg injury, traumatic brain injury and torn aortaHow has military health services helped you overcome your injury/disability?New bionic prosthetics and helping me to be active with fun events.Download

  • CMSgt T. Scott Addington

    Terry AddingtonChief Master Sergeant (Retired)Hometown : Amory, MSSport(s) : ShootingInjury : Cancer SurvivorHow has military health services helped you overcome your injury/disability?It has allowed me to focus and concentrate to a whole new level. AFW2 has increased my mental and physical

  • 2ndLt Rachel Francis

    Rachel FrancisSecond Lieutenant (Active Duty)Hometown: Huntington Beach, CASport(s): Injury: Multiple sclerosisHow has military health services helped you overcome your injury/disability?They have given me the strength, support and perseverance to keep fighting the appeal process and served as a

  • Weapons safety ensures ICBM effectiveness

    The 90th Missile Wing's mission is to defend America with the world's premier combat ready intercontinental ballistic missile force, and ensuring the safe execution of the mission is the prime focus of the 90th MW Safety Office.